TN: Schools advertising toppers to get notice from education department

Chennai: School education department will soon instruct the district administrations to issue show cause notices to private schools that are publicising toppers and rank holders. The top officials of both school and higher education are now working towards reforms, an official told Deccan Chronicle.

The school education department has received good response from the public and the student community for abolishing the disclosure of state toppers. Academicians had also appreciated the arrangements. But unfortunately there are complaints particularly from western districts and tier one cities that schools are promoting the abolished ranking system by giving paid news and advertisements.

The govt brought in the changes to do away with rote learning and to ensure that the holistic education reaches the children, but the objective will get defeated, if private schools promote the ranking culture for their business gains.

According to secretariat sources, another issue that is now being given priority is the admission of students under the RTE act. Currently, online registration is underway for RTE seats and the number of seats has also been identified. The state will select the candidates in a transparent manner and lots will be conducted to select the beneficiaries, sources said.

To a query on the issues related to delay in releasing funds for schools absorbing students under RTE, an official said that there has been a one-year delay. However, the finance departments has cleared funds to a tune of '136 crore and the issue will be sorted out in a phased manner.