No stay on online classes, govts must table plan: Madras High Court

Chennai

A division bench comprising Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice R Suresh Kumar pointed out that online education without sufficient guidelines was a matter of larger public interest, and asked the Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan to inform the court about the Centre’s plan on a national policy governing online education and also the State on the guidelines evolved for it. The plea was posted to June 25 for further hearing.

However, the bench refused to grant any interim relief to restrain educational institutions from conducting online classes and collecting fees for it as sought by senior counsel S Prabhakaran, who appeared for the petitioner. “No interim relief can be ordered since we do not know the ground reality,” the bench said.

During the hearing, government pleader V Jayaprakash Narayan informed the court that TN government was yet to permit the conduct of the online classes by schools and colleges. He also clarified that a GO has also been issued restraining the institutions from demanding fees.

The petitioner, S Saranya (34), had submitted in her PIL that Padmashree CBSE school in Korattur where her two children were studying has commenced classes through online for the next academic year in the absence of any government rules or regulation.

During the online session, ads with explicit content were popping up, disturbing the student’s mind, she said, adding expanding online education would push those without access to the periphery of the education system.