Private schools to move High Court against Haryana Staff Selection Commission

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, December 7

Unhappy with the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) utilising the infrastructure and workforce of private schools for conducting examinations during working days, private school operators have decided to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

HPSC suggests exams on sundays

The HPSC has suggested that the exams be conducted on Sundays only and that the schools should not be forced to give consent for holding tests. In addition, the duty of school staff should be made optional and the school concerned should be informed at least two months prior to the exams for them to make arrangements and plan its activities timely and accordingly.

The Haryana Staff Selection Commission utilises the infrastructure and workforce of governmental and non-governmental institutions to conduct recruitment examinations of various government posts. The examinations are usually conducted on Saturdays and Sundays.

The private school operators said though they never had any objection to the examinations being conducted, they do have objection to the manner their premises are being used and that exams are being conducting on Saturday, which is a working day in a majority of the schools.

The private unaided schools are forced to give consent for carrying out examinations and in case a school resists, it is arm-twisted. By holding examinations on working days, the education of the students is hampered.

Prashant Munjal, the vice-president of the Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference (HPSC), said, “The private school operators have been facing a number of issues due to the examinations held by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission. While installing CCTV cameras and jammers, no attention is paid towards the damages being done to the school building and no compensation is given for such damages. A meagre amount is given to the schools by the commission for conducting an examination while the actual expenses are much higher.”

Munjal said the schools are ready to provide services but the manner in which the schools are forced and the amount is given to them for these examinations is not acceptable.

The Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference has suggested that the exams be conducted on Sundays only, the schools should not be forced to give consent for holding tests, the duty of school staff be optional and at least two months prior information be given to the school so that it is easily able to make arrangements and plan its activities accordingly.

The remuneration to the staff on duty should be equal to the per day salary for each shift, damages caused to the school building should be compensated and the amount given to schools should be at least Rs 125 per candidate.

He further said, “We have been requesting the Haryana Staff Selection Commission and government, but there has been no positive response. The Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference had moved to the HC earlier this year but in October, the petition was withdrawn after the government assured to resolve the matter because the date of the Common Entrance Test (CET) was approaching. However, there has been no progress since then and we have once again decided to move the HC to get a relief.”

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