Chennai: Observing that if anybody without approval opens a school and admits the students, the officials then and there should act upon and take action against the school authorities in the beginning itself so that the students already admitted could be accommodated in some other school, the Madras high court has posed 5 queries to be answered by the educational authorities so as to enable the court to give comprehensive guidelines prohibiting any school from admitting the students without any appropriate approval.
Passing interim orders on a petition filed by a school in Thanjavur, Justice N. Kirubakaran said it is a case, where the petitioner started unaided matriculation school from pre KG to IX standard without any approval from the educational authorities. Since the school does not have approval, by virtue of the order passed by the inspector of matriculation school, the students studying in the school were directed to be accommodated in some other school. The said order has been challenged before this court, the judge added.
The judge said a counter affidavit has been filed by the inspector of matriculation school, stating that even though the school had applied for approval, the school has not obtained any approval. In view of that only the impugned order has been passed. In these circumstances, 5 queries were raised, the judge added.
The queries were why the officials were not acting promptly whenever they receive applications for approval and verify as to whether the school authorities have already started admission or not?, If the students have been admitted, why the authorities have not acted promptly and swiftly, in the beginning, itself to protect the interest of the students? Why has no penal action been taken against the schools for admitting the students without getting any approval from the educational authorities? What were all the other modes available under the Act to the authorities to prohibit mushrooming of the schools without any approval which admits the students clandestinely? And how many schools were running without any approval throughout Tamil Nadu (the details have to be given district and year wise)?
