Allahabad High Court seeks information about schools with no students

The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a counter-affidavit (reply) furnishing information regarding all the schools in the state that have no students.

The PIL filed by one Nand Lal raises the issue of the poor condition of primary schools in the Daraganj locality of Prayagraj district.

The PIL alleges that the quality of education being imparted to the students is not up to the mark and therefore, many parents have stopped sending their children to government schools.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Piyush Agrawal sought a reply from the state government and adjourned the case for the next hearing on March 28, 2022.

The petitioner sought an inquiry into the affairs of Madhyamik School at Daraganj in Prayagraj district, the negligence of teachers in imparting education to students, and the embezzlement of funds issued by the state government for maintenance of the school.

Referring to an inquiry report of the divisional education officer (DEO) in the case, it was submitted that at present there is not even a single student in the pre-secondary school, and this had happened due to the negligence of the teachers and education department.

It was also submitted that the standard of education in other state-run schools is very poor, and many teachers do not even know the English language of the Class 4 level.