STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The State Government has issued an order to remove the venture schools from the category of recognized or government-aided schools in UDISE (United District Information System for Education).
In an order, Mission Director Samagra Shiksha and State Nodal Officer Dr Om Prakash directed all districts to remove the venture schools from the eligible list of PM POSHAN (mid-day meal) and stop allotment of rice to these schools from April.
The order said, “As per PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) guidelines, children studying in classes Bal Vatika to Class VIII in government, government-aided, and NCLP (National Child Labour Project) schools only are covered under PM-POSHAN.”
According to information given by the State Education Department during the recent Budget Session, the state has 7,670 venture schools: 4,560 lower primary schools and 3,110 upper primary schools. As many as 10,453 teachers have been working in the lower primary venture schools and 19,054 in the upper primary venture schools. The order will remove 7,670 venture schools from the eligible list of PM POSHAN.
The government did provincialize various venture schools from time to time under its Provincialization of Services of Teachers and Reorganization of Educational Institution Act. However, the Act did not cover these venture schools, which were established after getting various permissions from the government under its sections and sub-sections. The associations of teachers and employees of such venture schools have been staging agitation, seeking the regularisation of their services.
Meanwhile, reacting to it, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia said, “Not less than 70,000 children will be deprived of PM-POSHAN. The government should have thought twice before excluding such a large number of children from the scheme, as the government’s records say that many students in the state have been suffering due to a lack of nutritious food. I hope the Education Minister will take up the issue with the Chief Minister and find an alternative way.”
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