Emphasising on the need to improve the status of transport facilities in all private schools, the district administration has made installation of close-circuit cameras mandatory in all school buses from January 2018 onwards besides deputing a transport manager who has to ensure all basic facilities inside the buses.
In a bid to ensure the safety of school kids while following the guidelines of the Apex Court, Ranchi DC Manoj Kumar along with other senior officers during the meeting with the private school principals on Tuesday asked the principals to ensure necessary arrangement in school buses at the earliest.
Also, the officials of district administration have instructed the school managements to submit the details of existing arrangements inside the buses earliest by December 20. The district is also likely to form a committee to check the loopholes said the Ranchi DC. Suggestions to make 38 seater buses operational on a few busiest routes like MG Road, Kuthery Road, Lalpur was also kept during the meeting.
Focusing on other agendas like monopoly of school managements in sale of books and other stationery items, the districts administration heads has asked the school principals to follow the proposed norms of school boards or else stringent action will be taken against the violators.
Curtailing the monopoly of school managements, no schools will be allowed to change books for at least three years now. “The school administrations have been requested not to change the books for three years at least. Also, preference must be given to the NCERT study materials,” said the DC.
In addition, no private schools will be permitted to sale books on the campus premises. Meanwhile, displaying the details of book lists on the official website of the schools has been made mandatory on the scheduled deadline that is latest by January 30.
On the other hand, quoting the records of the status of admission of BPL students in private schools, the District Education Officer stated that the record of private schools in admitting BPL students as per the Supreme Court reservation norms is very low. The officials on this have ordered the school principals to present the latest record soon to the district administration officials.
Also, the school principals have been ordered to implement Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 with utmost seriousness. Acting sternly during the meeting, Kumar said, “If any school faces hurdle in removing the shops that fearlessly sales intoxicated products within certain radius of that particular school, the district administration team will immediately provide assistance to the school management.”
According to Section 6, COTPA Act 2003, sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products within a 100-yard radius of educational institutions is illegal. Similarly, the State’s Excise Department bans the sale of liquor within a radius of 100 meters from educational institutions. Taking up another pivotal issue of fees regulation, Kumar said that the private schools have been asked not to add any new/additional sub-head in the fees structure while ensuring that the annual fees is not increased by more than 15 per cent as per the rules.