The Rajasthan government on Sunday imposed restrictions on unauthorised entry of outsiders in the state-run schools. The circular laid down strict guidelines on entry of strangers, photography and live streaming of school premises or collection of personal information of students or teachers.
The new rules came on the same day when Cockroach Janta Party’s Ashutosh Ranka announced that he would be visiting schools across Rajasthan as part of the CJP’s ‘ School Thik Karo ‘ campaign to conduct an audit of the school amenities and quality of education being provided.
Earlier reporting noted: “We launched a campaign called ‘Fix the Schools’… The government directive drew criticism from the Opposition as Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dostara hit out at the BJP government for trying to cover up its alleged failure. The schools in these cities were allegedly in dilapidated conditions and demands for repair were being ignored by the administration. The volunteer had conducted an audit as part of the CJP’s nationwide ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign that aimed at improving government schools.
Earlier reporting noted: The father of 25-year-old CJP volunteer Shaik Abdul Hafeez was allegedly assaulted on Thursday after his son raised concerns about a primary school at Karisunda in the Indus community development block. Abdul, a 26-year-old CJP member who had participated in our protests at Jantar Mantar, visited his local government school in Bengal on the 13th and informed the teachers that he would return the next day to conduct an audit,” Das told reporters, according to a video posted by ANI news agency.
“Instead of improving the condition of government schools, the BJP government has found a way to cover up its failure and hide the poor condition of the education system,” he said. CJP co-convener Ranka said he had received requests to inspect schools in Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Barmer, and Hanumangarh. The Rajasthan government circular cited the principle of “in loco parentis”, which means “in place of parents”, to justify the move which it said was aimed at securing the safety, dignity, well-being and welfare of all children. The Secondary Education department said the measures were being taken to safeguard the children’s Right to Privacy and comply with the school safety policy and guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Earlier reporting noted: Speaking about the incident, Das said that the volunteer’s father was beaten “brutally”, while saying it was “absolutely condemnable.
