Hailakand admn. asks SEBA to take action against school

Hailakandi, April 13 (PTI): The Hailakandi district administration in south Assam has asked the Board of Secondary Education (SEBA) to take appropriate action against a school for sending minor school students in uniform to a political rally at Panchgram.

In a letter to the secretary, SEBA on Friday, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Keerthi Jalli said the authorities of Oxford School sent a large number of minor students to the Congress rally at Intake Field on Tuesday during school hours in gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Representation of People’s Act, 1951.

Stating the act was a gross violation of the trust laid by the parents of the wards on the school authorities, Jalli said.

“It was raining that day and a large number of people had gathered for a political meeting. There was every possibility of a stampede in such a large crowd. The school authorities in fact have willingly sent the students along with their teachers as per video received through Static Surveillance Team.”

Terming the conduct of the school authorities as “very much negligent, indulgent and irresponsible towards their duties, as the parents were unaware of the incident”, Jalli asked the secretary, SEBA to initiate necessary action as per provisions of private school management Act and other relevant rules, said a government release on Saturday.

Earlier on April 10 also the Hailakandi district administration had issued show cause notice to some schools for sending students to the Congress rally of Rahul Gandhi the day before at Panchgram violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Issuing the show cause notice to the schools, the DEO had asked the heads of the educational institutions as to why immediate action including cancellation of certification and permission to run the schools be not initiated for violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Representation of People’s Act, 1951, it said.

Taking serious view of the presence of large number of students in uniforms in the Congress rally at Intake Field in Panchgram , the DEO in her show cause notice to the heads of the schools said, “You have insulted your position as an educator, the noblest of professions,” the release added.