The Telangana department of school education (DSE) has decided to crack the whip on a Tolichowki-based Azaan international school, where a four-and-a-half-year-old girl was sexually exploited by the school’s supervisor, and initiated the process to facilitate its closure. Education department officials said alternative schools will be identified in the locality within a week and necessary arrangements made to shift students studying under state syllabus.
“The school has no permission to run pre-primary but has enrolled 218 students. There are another 373 students of Class 1 to Class 7 studying in the school affiliated to Telangana Board of Secondary Education. We have already served them a notice and also started looking out at nearby schools where these students can be accommodated,” said B Venkateshwarulu, deputy education officer, Golconda, adding that they can’t seal the school immediately due to the ongoing investigation.
However, highly placed DSE sources said it is only a matter of time before the school is permanently shut down. “The school has already been served a notice seeking explanation on why we should not initiate action. They have to submit their response by Tuesday. Immediately after receiving their response, we will send a proposal for derecognition of the school, which will be completed in weeks’ time. Soon the school will be closed and students moved to nearby schools,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
The heinous act should serve as an eye opener for all schools and they should prepare a blueprint on safety aspects. Several checks must be done with the police before recruiting new employees and their movement should be monitored. #KhabarLive
