The Hindu : Private unaided schools want five years to fulfil norms

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 25, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Private unaided schools want five years to fulfil norms

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI May 24. Heads of private unaided schools in the State have urged the Government to give them five years time for fulfilling all the norms needed for grant of recognition to the institutions.

Faulting the Directorate of Matriculation Schools for ``evolving new norms that only helped to reject the applications of the existing and functioning schools,'' the general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Tamil and English Schools Association, B.T. Kumar, alleged that the same directorate was allowing opening of new private schools.

The Inspectors of Matriculation Schools were imposing new norms on the existing schools, and also holding out threats of rejection of the latter's applications for recognition. In fact, the applications of 500 functioning schools seeking recognition had been rejected.

``We are prepared to fulfil any and all the norms, but we need five years to do the same. As per the existing norms, a matriculation school in a metro area would need five grounds of land and buildings. Many schools were now functioning within a two-round piece of land. Adding three more grounds and new buildings in a place like Chennai would require Rs.1 crore investment by the school head. If the school is given a five-year timeframe, the norms can be fulfilled,'' he said.

The State had 3,000 unaided schools, which were providing education to lakhs of students without any government help. Some of them had permission to run only up to Standard VII. The schools' application for further approval till Standard X remained unresolved for over two years, by which time the Seventh Class students would reach ninth standard.

``When an institution is functioning in the name of matriculation school, the students should be allowed to write the matriculation examination. Otherwise, the institutions should be allowed to issue transfer certificates up to Standard IX,'' Mr. Kumar argued at a press conference.

The Inspector of Matriculation Schools in charge of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari had rejected 98 school applications. There was no point in not allowing a school to function or rejecting their applications, without providing a solution to the affected students.

The only way out would be to give a five-year timeframe to the schools to fulfil norms.

However, new schools were being allowed due to ``pressure from influential sections.''

The association insisted that new schools should be allowed only at a 3 km distance away from existing matriculation schools.

Mr. Kumar said the association had sent a memorandum highlighting its demands and grievances to the Chief Minister.

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