School rule book

The Education Department has done well by coming out with a Rule Book for the schools of thestate for the first time since independence. While the Rule Book, the draft of which is available in the official departmental website has a long list of do’s and don’ts, it is important that every citizen take a look at it in the greater interest of the society. Some of the aspects of the Rule Book are indeed worth highlighting. It has, for instance, made it clear that under no circumstances shall the school authority allow the holding of any function in the school premises by an outside organization or individual etc., without the permission of the higher authority. This provision, however, has kept the door open for an organization or an individual to acquire permission of the higher authority, leaving scope to suspect that political parties in power can easily get the required permission for using the school premises for various purposes. Another provision which deserves to be focused on is that the Rule Book has debarred the school authority from lending school furniture and other equipment under any circumstance to any individual, family or organization for temporary use. Such a practice has been going on in Assam’s rural areas for a long time, and school furniture is often taken to public meetings, wedding receptions and other functions, thereby causing irreparable damage or loss of school assets. Given this provision, the Rule Book has called upon all schools to maintain an Asset Register keeping records of all movable and immovable assets/property. Apart from these, the Rule Book has also vested a lot of responsibilities on the teachers. It says that it is the duty of a teacher to enquire about the reason for any student’s absence from school and ask the parents. Additionally, it is the duty of the class teacher to report to the higher authority about the absence of any student for more than a week without permission. Teachers will also be required to take remedial measures and/or special classes for absentee students in order to help them cope with the learning loss.