SHILLONG: The state government has no policy to classify the SSA schools in the state as per the reply to an RTI query.
As many as 2,907 Lower Primary Schools and 2,232 Upper Primary Schools were opened under the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Aristotle C Rymbai, president, Meghalaya SSA School Association, said this was revealed after the Meghalaya SSA School Association (MSSASA), Central Body had sought information through RTI seeking clarification under which category the state government will classify the SSA schools as per Meghalaya State Education Policy 2018.
The existing categories of schools are Government, Government Aided, Deficit, Deficit Pattern, Adhoc, SSA and Private Schools.
However, there is no policy of the state government to classify SSA schools’ said the Deputy Director of School Education & Literacy in reply to RTI application by Rymbai.
Rymbai had referred to Meghalaya State Education Policy 2018 which said “the government will streamline the existing categories of schools and classify them into Government, Government Aided, Partially Aided and Private Schools only”.
In this regard, recently, the Meghalaya SSA School Association, Central Body had submitted a representation to the state government through the Director of School Education and Literacy.
In the representation, MSSASA also pointed out that under Section 2(n) of the RTE Act, four categories of schools are defined, namely: A school established, owned or controlled by the appropriate government or a local authority, an aided school receiving aid or grants to meet whole or part of its expenses from the appropriate government or the local authority, a school belonging to specified category and an unaided school not receiving any kind of aid or grant to meet its expenses from the appropriate government or the local authority.
MSSASA added that SSA schools fall under the provisions and principles of the RTE Act and to say that there is no policy by the state government to classify SSA schools appears to be a violation of the letter and spirit of the provisions of the Act. “If the government has no policy to streamline and classify the SSA Schools, it must come up with a clear picture what plan and better options the government prepares for SSA schools in the state”, he said.
The association has urged the state government to re-examine the case and come up with rules and regulations for implementation of ‘Meghalaya State Education Policy, 2018’ which will benefit all and not affect the sentiments of the SSA schools and SSA teachers in the state.
The Association has decided to meet the authorities concerned for discussion on the agenda.
