Over 1,000 budget private schools face closure in Haryana as state pulls affiliation, citing safety concerns

Students from around 1,000 schools in Haryana will now be shifted to government schools after the state's Education Department terminated their affiliation with the Haryana Board of Secondary Education. 

The Education Department has said that despite multiple extensions, the schools have failed to meet the standards set by the Haryana Education Rules (2003), which was amended recently. These budget schools were last given an extension on their temporary affiliation for the academic year 2019-20.

The decision was a result of a meeting between a delegation of representatives from these schools and the state's Education Department. The administrations of these schools are disgruntled at the announcement and have said that it endangers the futures of their students. They also demanded relief on humanitarian grounds and have said that they will protest if their affiliation to the Board is not recognised. 

The department also claims that the move was taken in the best interest of the students as the schools were falling short of complying with the safety norms in place, including a secure entry and exit and meeting the land requirement for the number of kids enrolled. "Their safety has sometimes been compromised due to absence of proper fire exit provisions at these schools," said the official.

The schools, on the other hand, are crying foul at the decision and say that the government must allow them to shift the school to a new location as it is not possible to expand the existing geographic area of the schools. They have also accused the government of washing their hands off the responsibility to support budget private schools, and have blamed construction activity for the cramped school campuses. The Haryana Sikshan Sansthan Sangathan has said that a letter will be sent to the state's Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, with these demands.

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An official in the Education Department has said that the children studying in these schools will be protected under the Right to Education Act and will be admitted into government schools in proximity. "They also have the option of joining the English-medium Model Sanskriti Schools," said the official, according to a report by The Times of India.