Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda on Monday (August 24) said unauthorised entry will not be permitted in government schools across the state. His
remarks follow a recent visit by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists to publicly-owned schools across several villages of Haryana under its ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, alleging inadequacies in infrastructure, sanitation, staff availability, and quality of midday meals provided to the students. “There are no orders to be issued. But one thing is very clear: no unknown person can go to school directly. This is very clear. Even if he is going, he will first go to the head of the school, the principal; he will go to him. If he has any complaint, or if he wants to say something, he can say it to him. But the trend that is going on nowadays is that whoever is coming, we have to take care of the security of our children,” he said in an interview with IANS.
‘There’s No Restriction on Media’: Minister Dhanda on Media Coverage
Responding to a query about restrictions on media coverage in government schools, Dhanda said, “Anyone cannot just walk in. There are sarpanches and elected panchayat representatives in the villages. If someone goes there and creates a problem, who will be responsible? If they have taken a decision, they must have taken it after due consideration.”
He added that a village school is a “national asset” and anyone visiting it should take the residents of that village along with them.
“There is no restriction on the media; they know how much coverage is appropriate. There is no restriction on anyone visiting...”
Schools in Rajasthan, UP Districts Restrict Entry of Outsiders
Earlier, similar directives were issued for government-run schools in Rajasthan and several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, Ballia and Agra, restricting the entry of outsiders, including YouTubers.
The Rajasthan government tightened restrictions on outsiders’ entry into government schools, requiring prior permission from the principal and written approval for photography and videography on school premises. The move came after the CJP announced that it would inspect schools in the state that are in a “poor” condition.
The education departments of Ayodhya, Ballia and Agra also barred the entry of outsiders, including YouTubers and persons associated with social media platforms, into government-run and aided basic education schools without prior permission from the competent authorities.
According to officials, the decision was aimed at ensuring uninterrupted learning and upholding the dignity of the teaching profession.
CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ Campaign
Began in CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke’s native village of Santuk Pimpri in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, the campaign has now spread to different parts of the country. It aims to improve the condition of government schools and ensure that they have basic amenities for students.
Dipke had earlier requested the sarpanchs of the respective villages to spearhead efforts to improve the condition of educational institutions, while also urging the locals to visit their children’s schools and report inadequacies to the activists.
