1 in 10 students of pvt aided schools ‘not found’ during drive
One out of 10 students enrolled in private-aided schools
was not found during a statewide verification drive conducted by the government.
Of the 2.84 lakh students mentioned on the rolls of such schools, about 30,135 could
not be accounted for.
State officials said the institutions used the inflated figures to avail of additional
government funding. The fraudulent practice was also observed in certain private
aided schools in Mumbai and Thane, a senior state official said. The education department
is expected to present its findings during a state cabinet meeting scheduled for
Wednesday.
The state had conducted a three-day verification drive starting October 3 after
a government report revealed that over 1.4 lakh of 7 lakh students enrolled in government-run
and private-aided schools in Nanded were bogus. The drive was conducted across all
98,067 state-run and private-aided schools. Of 2.01 crore students, 18.76 lakh or
9.39% could not be found. Schools in tribal areas recorded the highest absentee
rate at 30.94%. About 1.22 lakh students among 12.79 lakh enrolled in all such schools
in Mumbai (both island city and suburbs) were not found during the drive. Neighbouring
Thane district saw 1.90 lakh students out of 19.56 lakh enrolled not present.
The education department is now claiming that the government will save
nearly Rs. 30 crore in estimated expenditure on nutrition, uniforms, stationery for
these students and salaries of teachers as a result of the drive. A presentation
on proposed video surveillance network for Mumbai roads and a discussion on textile
policy is also expected to take place during the meeting.
Courtesy: Times of India
