Chennai: The Madras high court on Thursday directed the government to take effective steps within a year to formulate a comprehensive Act to govern all private schools. The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, before which a PIL filed by the former railway minister R. Velu came up, directed the government to constitute an expert committee in a month.
Advocate-General A.L. Somayaji submitted that the expert committee will submit its recommendations within six months and this would be placed before the public to elicit their opinion. After considering their suggestions, if any, a comprehensive Act would be finalised. Subsequently, it will be placed before the Legislative Assembly for approval. The process will be completed in a year.
Velu sought to cancel the recognition granted to Sidday Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Madurai and other Matriculation Schools, except those which were enjoying recognition of the Madras and Madurai Universities as on June 1, 1976.
The petitioner said the code of regulations for matriculation schools was deceitfully issued by the Tamil Nadu Government contrary to the Tamil Nadu Private Schools (Regulation) Act and thus if the Government intended to implement what was contained in the Code, it should do so legally by amending the law.
