The Karen Mayer committee, which was set up to strengthen the administrative control of the Uttarakhand government on all public schools in the hill state, has recommended a 25 per cent reservation for SC/ST children and enactment of the state’s own Education Act.
With Uttarakhand housing the country’s top public schools like Doon, Woodstock and Sherwood, the committee has also recommended that these schools should now be eligible to hike their fees once in three years only with a cap of 10 per cent. It has made the annual auditing in these schools compulsory.
The committee, which has already submitted the 15-page report to the government, was set up last year after few public schools came under sharp criticism for the alleged sharp increase in the monthly fees and heavy donations during the admission process.
The committee has also barred schools from holding admission tests at the lower classes and also called for pay scales for teachers in these schools at par with the state government.
It called for the schools to make sure there should be no corporal punishment and asked them to be brought under the purview of the Right To Information Act.
In the management committee of these schools, additional education directors, district education officers should also be included.
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Schools have also been told not to force students to buy stationeries and books from a particular publisher and company. The schools have further been asked to take concrete steps for stopping ragging and bring anti-bullying measures.
With Uttarakhand falling under the high-seismic zone, the committee asked these schools to take all anti-quake measure and drills in this regard.
Schools cannot use their NOCs to open more sister branches in the state. In case, a school is not abiding by the government’s norms, it should be imposed with a penalty of Rs 50,000.