Kapol Vidyanidhi International School, which is a private Gujrati-minority institute, based in Kandivali has once again been accused of irregularities.
The school does not have recognition under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, due to which the Education Department of Maharashtra government has given notice of closure of this school. However, the school has approached the Bombay High Court (HC) and said in its petition that the RTE Act does not apply to their school because it is a linguistic minority institution.
Allegation of taking extra money
The school has a long association with controversies. According to the parent of a student, even during the Covid times, the school collected increased fees from the students and those students who did not pay the fees were also treated unfairly. Parents had also protested against this decision of the school. The children who did not pay the fees were kept in the lab for two days. After which a complaint was also made regarding this matter. Along with this, the school has also been accused of forcefully selling dresses and books to the children.
No information about fire audit report either
In an RTI petition, when information was sought about the fire audit of the school from 2007 to March 2023, it was revealed that Mumbai Fire Brigade did not have any information in this regard. Mumbai Fire Brigade, in response to RTI, said that they do not have any information in their current records.
Dispute regarding playing Azaan during prayer time
In the month of June this year, parents protested fiercely outside Kapol International School. His allegation was that Azaan was played inside the school at the time of morning prayer. After the complaint regarding this matter, the local police also started investigating the matter. The protesting parents threatened to stage a sit-in in the school premises following which the teacher who played the azaan was suspended.
Orders to close school
In January, Education Inspector (EI Mumbai West Zone) Navnath Vanve had directed the school to be closed. However, even after this he continued studying in school. The education inspector issued a letter to Deputy EI Dharmendra Naik in June asking him to transfer students to other nearby schools.
The school does not have the Right to Education Act. Sample 2
Under the Right to Education Act, all privately run schools are required to obtain a certificate of recognition by meeting the criteria related to teachers, school buildings, library and equipment. This process is known as Form 1 i.e. Sample 1. This Act was implemented in 2011.
The Certificate of Recognition known as Form 2 is awarded to the school after an on-site inspection. There is a provision in the law to impose a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh for schools running without recognition. A recurring fine of Rs 10,000 per day will also be imposed if schools continue to function without recognition. Schools have to renew their recognition every three years.
Action against school without hearing
The school filed a writ petition on August 28 against the state government, state education department, BMC and education officials. The school, in its petition filed in the court, has said that the education authorities decided to initiate action against the school without a hearing. The petitioners have requested the court to quash the notice sent by the authorities and stop punitive action against the school.
Share
Tweet
