Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
The Delhi government’s takeover of Modern International School for allegedly breaching the provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the Delhi School Education Act & Rules (DSEAR), is facing “unwarranted” delays due to the obstructionist actions of the Lieutenant-Governor, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.
“The Modern International School had breached the RTE Act and the DSEAR provisions by not admitting EWS students, not providing free uniform, stationery to beneficiary students, wrongly terminating teachers and making fake/dummy registrations in Class XI,” an official statement said.
The Delhi government had decided to takeover the school in December 2022 and had sent the proposal to the L-G for his approval. This was done after the school was sent several show-cause notices for continuously “violating” the provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009, and the Delhi School Education Act & Rules, 1973, and guidelines and order issued from time to time and defying willfully, the direction issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE), according to the CMO.
“CM Arvind Kejriwal and the then Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had earlier noted that the subject of education is not under the L-G’s purview, and he may forward it to the President or approve it. However, the L-G has been illegally placing his observations without jurisdiction on matters of education, obstructing the takeover process,” the statement said.
The Chief Minister has now sent the proposal to the L-G again, highlighting delays on the latter’s part, according to the CMO.
“It is more than four and a half months now, and the education of several children is being hampered. Therefore, it is humbly requested that the Lieutenant-Governor may record his final views whether he would like to refer this matter to the President,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
In the past also, the Delhi government had decided to take over private schools for violation of rules. In 2021, the government had decided to issue a show-cause notice for taking over the management of Apeejay School in Sheikh Sarai, after the school allegedly repeatedly failed to comply with multiple orders of the Delhi government asking it to rollback its fee hike.
