HC lens on govt ‘takeover’ of high school run by BSE

Cuttack: The Orissa high court has issued notice to the state government on a plea seeking intervention against the takeover of the Secondary Board High School (SBHS) in Cuttack by the school and mass education department from January 1. SBHS was a model school set up by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, in 1959 under the Orissa Secondary Education Act, 1953.The takeover followed a resolution passed by the department on December 7, 2023. On January 2 this year, Sujogya Kumar Samantaray, an ex-student, filed the PIL challenging the resolution.When the petition was taken up on Friday, petitioner’s counsel Akshaya Kumar Pandey submitted the resolution passed by the state is in contravention to the statute and beyond its authority and sought resolution’s quashing.“Unfortunately, the government which is required under law to ensure implementation of the provisions of Orissa Secondary Education Act, 1953 has taken over the only school of the board, thereby usurping upon the functions of the board as mandated under Section 11 (k) of the Act; even though the Act does not empower the government to take over the school of the board,” Pandey said.

State schools lack special educators

Despite the 2021 Supreme Court ruling mandating the appointment of special educators in government schools, the Telangana government is yet to hire them. The state sanctioned 1,523 posts for special educators in August, but hiring has not begun. This delay has left Bhavitha centers, which cater to special needs kids, with 250 vacancies. Parents are forced to bear the high cost of private institutions for therapy and education, with expenses ranging from Rs70,000-1,00,000 per month. Inclusive schools are crucial to address this issue, according to Kalpagiri from the Special Educators Forum.

Improve, DEO tells schools with poor board results

The Ahmedabad City district education officer recently issued a circular instructing schools with less than 30% success ratio among Class 10 students during previous years to focus on improving learning. Last year, 59 schools in Ahmedabad city had Class 10 results which were 30% or lower. The DEO has instructed their principals to hold review meetings every fortnight and make efforts to improve the education level is improved and ensure that students are being prepared for the exam using preparatory materials issued by the board. The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has prepared digital preparatory educational materials for Classes 10 and 12 final examinations.

Vivek High School to move court against UT education depts derecognition order

Vivek High School, one of the 53 non-minority schools in Chandigarh, is planning to move the Punjab and Haryana high court against the UT education department's order to derecognize the school for not admitting EWS students. The school is seeking full reimbursement, guaranteed 25% admissions under RTE, and permission to admit students at the entry-level classes. Last year, except for St Kabir and Vivek High School, all non-minority schools were onboarded. The department has given the school a deadline of January 9 to submit an undertaking for recognition under the RTE Act.

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