Private schools not to run in residences

17 Mar, 2007 PATNA: Bad news for private schools running in residences of the city. The state government has decided to remove all such schools from their places of existence for having violated the prescribed norms for opening such institutions. The government admitted in the state legislative council on Friday that eight private schools functioned in the residences of the North and South S K Puri locality alone. Moreover, five of them had even been granted no-objection certificates (NOCs) for CBSE/ICSE affiliation, it added. While replying to a question of Jagannath Rai in the council, HRD minister Brishen Patel said that the government has decided to remove all private schools running in residences soon. Council's acting Chairman Arun Kumar said that all such schools have violated the prescribed norms of the CBSE\ICSE. They do not have adequate space for classrooms, playgrounds, libraries and laboratories, Kumar said during the government's reply. He also sought to know how the government issued NOCs to these schools. The CBSE never grants recognition to schools violating the prescribed norms, he added. Shiv Prasanna Yadav of the JD(U) informed the House that a private school had been running in a multi-storied apartment at Punaichak for the last one year. He said that there are two gates in the apartment but only one remains open during the school hours. CPI's Kedar Pandey sought to know whether the government itself follows the prescribed norms prior to granting NOCs to private schools. Tanvir Hasan suggested the government to conduct inspection of such schools on a regular basis. The HRD minister said that the Common School System Commission would soon submit its report to the government. After the receipt of its report, the government would put a check on the mushroom growth of private schools in the state, he added. Students' union poll: The state government has decided to hold the long-awaited students' union elections in the various universities of the state soon. The Bihar government is working out a strategy to conduct peaceful polls in the universities of Bihar. Project schools: The government has decided to set up 250 project schools in the state. Replying to a short-notice question of Basudeo Singh of the CPM, HRD minister Brishen Patel said in the council that all the project schools would be upgraded to plus two level.