Punjab Education Department on Tuesday, April 12, ordered the private schools to immediately display the list of minimum three bookstores and uniform shops in towns and 20 in cities to be shared with the District Education Officers (DEOs). This move is aimed at allowing the parents to have the option of buying books from any prescribed shops in the vicinity of their place of residence. Notably, earlier the parents of students were unduly harassed by the school managements to buy books from a particular shop.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already categorically ordered the private schools not to force the parents to buy books and uniforms from any specific shop. Chairing a meeting to review the position in this regard, the Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer directed the DEOs to form inspection teams for ensuring strict compliance of these orders. These teams shall verify the list of shops by conducting random inspections and any violations found would be strictly dealt with, revealed the Minister while personally monitoring the complaints.
He further ordered the District Regulatory Bodies headed by the Deputy Commissioners to pro-actively act on complaints against private schools. Hayer further said that it has been brought to his notice despite strict instructions from the Chief Minister; still few private schools were grossly violating these orders. He said that such defaulter schools would soon face stern action for flouting these directions and asked them to comply with these orders in the letter and spirit.
