Three-Member Committee Established To Probe Allegations Against Unauthorised Schools In Pune

Pune, 18th June 2023: Deputy Director Rajendra Ahire, responsible for Higher Education in the Pune Division, has taken action by forming a three-member committee to investigate allegations of unauthorized schools operating in the region.

The committee has been assigned the task of looking into the complaints lodged against Aryan Public School at Narhe, managed by the Rajmudra Social Welfare Foundation, as well as KK Public School at Narhe and Taqwa Islamic Maktab and School (TIMS) in Kondhwa. The committee, composed of education officers, has been given a deadline of eight days from the issuance of the notice to submit a report on the matter.

The decision to establish this committee came about after education rights activist Dr. Abhishek Haridas raised concerns and filed a complaint regarding these unauthorised schools. Deputy Director Ahire took swift action by sending a notice to the three education officers involved on June 7, officially constituting the committee and instructing them to initiate a thorough investigation.

The three officers appointed to the committee are Neelima Mehetre, who will serve as the committee’s president and is also the block education officer at Panchayat Samiti, Haveli; Rajkumar Bamane, a member and secretary of the committee, currently serving as the education expansion officer at Pune Zilla Parishad; and Jayesh Shendkar, a committee member and assistant administrator officer in the primary education department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The origins of these complaints can be traced back to December 19, 2022, when a resident named N Khan from Kondhwa, lodged a complaint with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) regarding serious irregularities occurring within the Taqwa School. Khan had been appointed as the principal at TIMS School in Kausar Baug, Kondhwa, Pune, starting from November 9, 2022.

In her complaint, Khan highlighted numerous irregularities that she had observed since her first day on the job. She had repeatedly brought these issues to the attention of the school’s management, urging them to take appropriate measures. Unfortunately, her concerns were ignored, and the management continued to jeopardize the futures of approximately 400 students. One alarming issue she raised was the lack of qualified teachers in the school, with most of them having only completed the 12th grade.

Furthermore, Khan alleged that the school’s president had been physically abusing students on multiple occasions, despite her pleas for him to stop. In addition to these major irregularities, she claimed that she was wrongfully terminated from her position without any notice, and the management even sent a defamatory message to approximately 600 parents in the school group. Khan provided evidence of the message sent to parents, confirming her dismissal as the principal.