Unauthorised entry won’t be allowed in Haryana govt. schools: Education Minister

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Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda (left) said people with genuine complaints should approach the authorities. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda on Monday said unauthorised entry will not be allowed in government schools in the State. His remarks came after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists visited government schools in several villages in the State over the past two weeks as part of its ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign. They alleged deficiencies in infrastructure, cleanliness, availability of teachers, and quality of midday meals. Addressing reporters in Hansi, Mr. Dhanda termed government schools a “national heritage” and said the “safety of students cannot be compromised for political publicity”. He said anyone visiting a government school should do so in coordination with members of the panchayat and the school management committee (SMC). “The sarpanch is there, elected representatives of the panchayat are there. There is an SMC in all schools. Anyone visiting must take along SMC and panchayat members,” the Minister said, adding that responsibility would be fixed if disturbances occur on the school premises during such visits. Mr. Dhanda said people with genuine complaints about a government school should first approach the sarpanch and other responsible authorities. CJP national core committee member Sudhir Sangwan told The Hindu that the group had so far visited 16 to 17 schools across districts such as Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, and Fatehabad.

He claimed that a teacher was suspended in Bhiwani after a CJP activist raised concerns over the quality of foodgrains supplied for the midday meal. He added that CJP activists plan to visit 100 more schools in the State over the next fortnight, with the objective of highlighting shortcomings and demanding greater accountability and better execution.

Reacting to the Minister’s remarks, Mr. Sangwan said CJP activists entered schools only after they were invited by villagers who wanted improvements in their schools. He questioned the effectiveness of the SMCs, saying though they were set up to function as watchdogs, their members were often inactive or lacked the capacity to monitor schools effectively. Mr. Sangwan also shared on X an order issued by the Hansi district administration restricting unauthorised entry into schools and criticised the move as an attempt to prevent people from documenting the condition of government schools.

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