Rajasthan to have SITs to stop students from skipping school for coaching

A division bench of the Rajasthan high court asked the state board as well as the CBSE to check during school hours if students were present in schools.

The Rajasthan High Court has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) to ensure that students of classes nine to 12 do not skip schools to go to coaching centres.

An empty classroom of a school. (REUTERS)

A division bench comprising Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand asked both the boards to carry out surprise inspections during school hours to check whether students were attending coaching classes instead of schools.

The court observed that attendance in schools is mandatory for students and any absence without justification would invite disciplinary action against the students, schools, as well as the authorities concerned.

"The State of Rajasthan and all the boards are directed to constitute Special Investigating Teams (SITs) to carry out sudden and random inspections of all the schools and the coaching centres and in case, the students are found absent in such schools and simultaneously, they found present in the coaching centres during the school hours, then appropriate strict action be taken against all the stakeholders, including the schools and the coaching centres in accordance with law," the court said.

The court was hearing a matter in which CBSE had pointed out serious deficiencies in three schools, leading to penalties, including withdrawal of provisional affiliation. The affected schools had challenged the order.

While granting four weeks' time to the three schools to rectify the deficiencies, the court said schools could seek legal remedies against any adverse decision.

The bench also directed CBSE and RBSE to form SITs to inspect schools and coaching centres.