Bhubaneswar: Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on closure of schools in Orissa, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has slapped a notice on the state government asking it to reply within eight weeks.
Acting on a report on the closing down of 828 government-run primary and upper primary schools in the state for having less than 10 students each in 2016-17, the commission has issued the notice to Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, Tuesday.
The NHRC has raised questions on proper implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in the state. It observed that it appears the government-run schools are lacking basic amenities; the number of teachers is also inadequate, the NHRC said in a press statement.
“Opening of private schools cannot be a solution for the shortcomings being faced by the students and the parents in the government schools. There seems to be extreme need for thorough study of the entire scenario by taking into confidence all the stakeholders to build a healthy environment of education at the primary and upper primary level to tackle the menace of dropouts,” it said.
Drawing attention on another such report about the decision of the Maharashtra to close Zilla Parishad schools, the commission said that without proper education at the primary level, the nation cannot think of well-educated youth in future. The issue needs to be addressed in time by the state as well as Union government, the NHRC said.
The NHRC has also issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) through its secretary for its response in the matter within eight weeks.
PNN
