DEO starts crackdown on unauthorised private schools in Ludhiana
The district education officer (DEO, elementary) Ravinder Kaur along with inspection team, launched a checking drive across private schools running in the area. The focus on day one was schools operating without registration under either the RTE Act or the UDISE survey.
The team first inspected two such schools—Sarthak Academy (with total of 96 students) and Future Builder School (with total of 20 students)—located on Tibba Road in Shera Colony and found both institutions running without proper authorisation. Sarthak Academy has been operating for nearly four years, while Future Builder School has been functional for about a year.
The inspection also revealed that none of the teaching staff in either school are professionally trained.
DEO revealed that as per directions by the Punjab education department, all private schools operating across the district will undergo strict inspections by a team. A six-member inspection committee has been formed, with the DEO serving as its chairperson. The team also includes block primary officers (BPOs) and other key members.
As per the guidelines, all schools must strictly follow the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and the Punjab State RTE Rules, 2011. Schools have been instructed to keep their documents ready for verification. These include building safety certificates, fire safety clearance, certificates for clean drinking water, sanitation reports and documents related to safe school transport policies. In addition, records of other basic facilities provided to students must also be available. All these documents must be presented as certified copies at the time of inspection so that the teams can compile accurate reports and submit them to the state government on time.
'Sarthak Academy, which has been conducting classes in one hall, has been issued a notice, and they have been given two days to explain why the school was being run without proper registration,' said Kaur.
She added that action is also being taken for Future Builder School, where around 20 children were found studying in poor conditions. 'I have asked teachers from the nearby government school in Subhash Nagar to enrol these students. Government schools offer better facilities and parents should prefer them over such small, unauthorised institutions,' she emphasised.
More inspections are expected in the coming days.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Police file 3000-page chargesheet in Vadodara car crash case
The Vadodara city police on Tuesday filed a 3000-page chargesheet in the March 13 Karelibaug car crash involving an MS University law student Rakshit Chaurasiya that killed one woman and left seven others injured, detailing that the car was being driven at the speed of 140 kmph and the driver did not attempt to bring the vehicle to a halt. Apart from Chaurasiya, his friend Pranshu Chauhan was also present in the car at the time of the accident. Relying on forensic reports, eye witness accounts as well as data shared by German car maker Volkswagen, the police filed the chargesheet in the 90-day window of the case on Tuesday. The chargesheet, comprising statements — most of which were recorded before a magistrate — of over 100 eye witnesses also emphasises on the report received by the Vadodara city police from Volkswagen from the analysis of the Incident Data Recorder (IDR) of the high-end car. The police have emphasised that Chaurasiya was driving the car between 100-140 kmph throughout the stretch and following the crash, the car continued to speed ahead at 140 kmph leading to more damage until the automatic brakes of the car brought it to a halt. Vadodara city Commissioner of Police Narasimha Komar, told The Indian Express, 'We have detailed the report of the FSL, which has confirmed that Chaurasiya and his co-passenger Pranshu Chauhan were under the influence of drugs. They were aware that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a crime, yet they took out the car'. 'Although they have been booked in a separate case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, they knowingly endangered the lives of people…' Komar said. Komar added that the police have also detailed the findings of Volkswagen, the maker of the car involved in the crash — a Volkswagen Virtus — as the Incident Data Recorder or the black box of the vehicle had confirmed the car speed. Komar said, 'The vehicle was a high-end one and the incident data recorder confirmed that the speed was grossly in excess of 100, even at 140 kmph at some spots. We also have eye witness accounts to fortify the case against them…' The Vadodara Sessions court on Tuesday rejected the Vadodara city police revision petition, filed against the order of a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court, which had, on April 6 directed 'immediate release from illegal detention' of Praanshu Chauhan, after he moved the court contending 'illegal detention' at Karelibaug police station in the NDPS case filed against him. Additional Sessions Judge MA Tailor, on Tuesday, upheld the order of the JMFC court and dismissed the revision petition of the police, in which District Government Pleader, Vadodara, Anil Desai made submissions before the district sessions court, contending that the JMFC court had 'no jurisdiction' to issue the orders in the case. Chauhan, who was arrested and granted bail in the NDPS case lodged against him at the Warasiya police station, had moved the court stating that Karelibaug police station 'illegally detained' him within minutes of being granted bail in the NDPS case on April 5, 2025, purportedly in connection with' Chaurasiya's accident case but he had been 'illegally detained in custody at Karelibaug Police Station since April 3 and was further illegally detained in police custody for the whole night on April 3, without informing him for the reasons of such detention.' Chauhan has been made a co-accused in the accident. CP Komar said that the city police will explore legal options after examining the order. Komar said, 'We will go through the order in detail and seek legal opinion to see if we can appeal in a higher court… or if we should accept the order as it is.'
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Two arrested in Dibrugarh for hunting egrets
Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh forest department on Tuesday arrested two individuals for hunting egrets, a protected bird species under the Indian wildlife laws, after videos surfaced on social media platforms. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused, Vijay Majhi and Rajesh Karmakar, were apprehended from Milan Nagar following widespread circulation of videos, showing them hunting. "The two individuals were arrested after videos of their hunting went viral on social media. Hunting egrets is a serious offence and we will ensure strict legal action is taken," DFO Nandha Kumar said. Egrets are classified under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which strictly prohibits their hunting, providing comprehensive protection to specific species of flora and fauna. The legal framework surrounding their protection is particularly robust, with specific species receiving even higher levels of protection. The Little Egret and Cattle Egret, commonly found in wetland areas across Assam, are listed under Schedule II of the Act, which makes hunting them a non-bailable offence. The arrest comes at a time when wildlife conservation efforts in Assam have intensified, particularly in districts like Dibrugarh. "Egrets play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and their indiscriminate hunting not only threatens biodiversity, but also violates wildlife protection laws. Awareness is crucial among the public regarding wildlife conservation. We need citizens to understand not just its legal implications, but also their ecological importance. We are working closely with local communities to gather intelligence and prevent such activities," Kumar said.
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Surat CP invokes PASA against 14, including ex-councillor
Surat: Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut has invoked the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) against 14 persons, including three-term Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) councillor Prakash Desai. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The former councillor, who was accused in three FIRs filed by Udhna police for , was shifted to the Rajkot jail after the PASA order. Desai was first arrested by Surat special operations group (SOG) police for allegedly accepting extortion money at his house. The complainant reportedly recorded a video of Desai in the act. According to police, Desai would 'misuse' the Right to Information (RTI) Act and would lodge complaints with the SMC to extort money from businessmen, traders and school owners, threatening them with the demolition of their properties. Desai previously served three terms as an independent councillor from the Udhna ward. In addition to Desai, the history-sheeter Sajid Kothari, alias Sajju Kothari, was also booked under PASA and sent to Bhuj jail. Kothari has a criminal history involving 35 cases, including attempted murder, extortion, abduction, rioting, Arms Act violations, prohibition offences and gambling. This is the seventh time Kothari has been jailed under PASA. He has also been charged under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GujCTOC) Act twice and was previously externed from Surat due to his alleged criminal activities. The others booked under PASA are history-sheeters Rajuram Bishnoi, Shravan Bishnoi, Dipak Yadav, Sunil Sadashiv, Shana Parveen Shaikh, Mehul Parmar, Durgesh Sinh, Alpesh Lashkari, Jitu Tank, Dilip Rathod, Mahesh Nayka and Rizwan Khan. These persons have been shifted to jails in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhuj and Mehsana.
