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Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Midday meal workers at school in Haryana's Nuh not paid for 10 months, lawyer writes to NHRC
A Delhi-based lawyer has complained to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that midday meal workers at Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School in Raniyala village of Haryana's Nuh district have not received their honorariums for the past 10 months. Filed on Wednesday by advocate Ashok Agarwal, the complaint alleged a serious violation of labour rights at the school in the Ferozpur Jhirka area. Cooks and their helpers have not received their pay of Rs 7,000 per month for the last 10 months now, Agarwal found on visiting the school with social activist Dr Ashfaque Ahmed on May 24. According to the complaint, many of the midday meal workers have served the school for 10 to 15 years preparing and serving meals to students daily. 'Despite their continuous … they have been left without remuneration, leading to significant economic hardship and emotional distress for them and their families … This situation is not only unjust and exploitative but also amounts to a grave violation of labor and human rights. The denial of rightful wages over such an extended period bears resemblance to 'Begar' (forced or unpaid labor), which is explicitly prohibited under Article 23 of the Indian Constitution', the complaint reads. It goes on to raise concerns about systemic issues, suggesting that similar exploitative practices may exist in other government schools across Haryana, given that the affected school is affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), one of India's prominent educational boards. Agarwal told The Indian Express that the workers do not get paid for the two vacation months in a year too. The complaint thus urges the NHRC to investigate the matter urgently, direct authorities to release the pending salaries, and ensure such violations do not recur in government-run schools. Vishram Kumar Meena, Deputy Commissioner, Nuh, told The Indian Empress that the administration would ask the district elementary education officer to look into the issue and resolve it. 'I have got a message from the DC and have spoken to the midday in-charge, who is currently on leave. We will look into it and give an update tomorrow. Normally, there are budgetary issues sometimes, but not at present. In any case, 10 months is too long a time,' District Education Officer Ajit Singh said. Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed raised questions about the state government's approach to public education. 'They have declared it an aspirational district but do not pay any attention to the education woes. District officers of the department are not sufficiently hired or are kept on additional charge. I will look into this school and others, and see that their payments are released. The poor workers do not have a union or support system or anything, and are usually on their own,' he told The Indian Express.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Readied last Oct, Noida school building still waits for students
More than 300 students of Primary School Gejha in Noida's Bisrakh block continue to attend classes in overcrowded and unsafe rooms, even though a new 12-room school building on the same premises has been ready for months, according to a complaint by the All India Parents Association (AIPA). The new building, completed in October 2024, has not been put to use allegedly because it awaits a formal inauguration by political leaders, AIPA national president Ashok Agarwal said in a letter to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Agarwal, who recently visited the school, claimed that students are studying in a deteriorating structure with just four rooms—one of which serves as the Head of School's office. Class 1 students share one of the remaining spaces, while the others sit on torn mats on the floor. Children in the Anganwadi centre, he added, are being taught under a temporary tent. Calling the situation 'shameful' and a 'violation of children's basic rights,' the letter cited the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and urged the government to allow immediate access to the new building without waiting for ceremonial proceedings. 'It is deeply unfortunate that a fully constructed school facility is lying idle while children are forced into unhygienic, overcrowded rooms,' Agarwal told Hindustan Times. 'Delaying its use for political inaugurations is not just insensitive—it undermines the fundamental right to education.' However, basic education officer Rahul Pawar refuted the claim that the building had been unused for six months. 'The construction was only recently completed. Some electrical and furniture fittings were pending, which have now been addressed,' he said. 'The inauguration is scheduled for next week. Developed under CSR, the facility can accommodate up to 400 students.' Education rights advocates say this is not an isolated case. 'Across several districts, we've seen instances where infrastructure lies unused due to bureaucratic or political delays,' said education activist Neha Tiwari. 'While governments talk about improving learning outcomes, such ground realities expose a gap between intent and implementation. Access to resources shouldn't hinge on protocol.'
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Schools refusing to promote pupils of Classes 6, 7 violation of RTE: Parents
NEW DELHI: Parents and activists have alleged that several prominent schools in the national capital allegedly held back students in classes 6 and 7, in stark violation of the Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009. The Ministry of Education's Department of School Education and Literacy notified guidelines on 'Examination and Holding Back in Certain Cases' in December 2024, after the 2019 amendment to RTE Act. Educationist and advocate Ashok Agarwal, president of the All India Parents' Association (AIPA), said, 'The amended rules allow schools to detain students in classes 5 and 8 only, that toom after giving them additional opportunity for re-examination within two months from the date of declaration of results. There was no detention policy till Class 8 before the amendment. However, the government revised the act to include a provision for detention in Class 5.' Several parents complained over the issue, alleging that schools asked their children to either repeat a year in classes 6 or 7, or take a school-leaving certificate. 'My son is in Class VI and we have been told that if he does not clear the re-exam scheduled in May, he will not be promoted to the next class. But norms say that students cannot be detained in classes other than 5 and 8. My son couldn't score well due to bad health this year,' a Gurugram-based parent said. According to Ashok Ganguly, former chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education, the RTE Act, the National Education Policy, and the National Curriculum Framework prohibits any school from refusing promotion to a student in classes 6 and 7. Amendment enables schools to hold back Class 5, 8 students In December 2024, the Centre had amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Rules, 2010, giving state governments power to conduct regular exams for students in classes 5 and 8, with the provision to hold them back if they fail. This marked a departure from the long-standing 'no-detention' policy, a cornerstone of the educational framework since the enactment of Right to Education Act in 2009.
