The Madras High Court today posted to June one a PIL seeking to take measures to close down all unrecognised schools in Tamil Nadu, which were now functioning on adhoc conditional recognition.
A division bench comprising Justice K K Sasidharan and S Vimala posted the PIL filed by Change India, an NGO, after Additional Advocate General sought time to file counter.
Recalling that the 2004 fire in a school in Kumbakonam in which more than 90 students of the primary section were charred to death in their classroom after the thatched roof caught fire, the PIL said that the tragedy was the result of serious flaw in the Education Department's inspection and approval mechanism, notwithstanding specific directions from the Supreme Court while giving approval.
The PIL said more than 700 schools cannot be allowed to function beyond May 31, 2016 as they have already been given "illegal" ad-hoc conditional recognition since 2004 till date.
Even the conditional recognition cannot be given to these schools, the PIL submitted.
The PIL submitted that there has been no effort to make alternative arrangements to put the students of these illegally functioning schools in other neighbourhood schools from the next academic year which is less than two months away.
It is the responsibility of the government to constitute an inspection team consisting of experts including Civil Engineer, Health Officer, Revenue Officer, Psychologist, Fire Officer, Local Body official besides the educational authorities to carry out inspection and assessment of infrastructural facilities in schools before the commencement of the coming academic year, the PIL submitted.
