Chandigarh, April 17 (IANS) The Punjab government has ordered closure of 473 private schools after they failed to implement norms of the right to education (RTE) act, a minister said Wednesday.
Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the non-affiliated private schools have been asked to wind up their operations immediately.
"The Punjab government had been sympathetic towards these educational institutions for long. They had been time and again requested to adhere to the RTE act but they were in denial mode in implementing the RTE norms," Maluka said.
He said that these schools were bound to get affiliations under the RTE norms for free and compulsory education.
"This forced the state government to take strict action against all these money-making institutions," the minister said.
He added that nearly 37,813 students of these schools will be given admissions in government-run schools.
The minister also said instructions have been issued to the director general school education to ensure closure of these private schools.
