When most secondary schools in West Bengal run without teachers, TMC Govt disaffiliates 125 Vidya Bharati schools
Asim Kumar Mitra
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) Government now seems bent upon to close the schools run by Vidya Bharati. It has already closed 125 such schools mostly situated in North Bengal. (See table for detail)
The table shows that the first six districts of North Bengal have been targeted by the TMC Government to give a jolt to the Vidya Bharati schools forcing them not to indulge in any kind of nationalistic education in that area. This is an area where all parties, except BJP, think that education policy should veer around secularism. The fact remains that the secularist idea of education is a total confusion of what actually education means. Hence, the TMC Government disaffiliated the schools run by the Vidya Bharati and the number of such schools now stood at 125. Although, technically speaking the Vidya Bharati Schools are not RSS owned schools. But, yes, many of these schools are run by the RSS swayamsevaks – both as management staff and as teaching staff. Nevertheless, these schools are committed to nationalist ideology. Perhaps for that reason the TMC leaders love to call these schools as RSS schools. Recently, West Bengal Government dished out another list of 493 Vidya Bharati Schools saying they are still under government scanner as they doubt their credentials as to whether they are following communal ideology or secular ideology.
First of all, it should be noted that all these schools were affiliated by the former State Government and the Left Front government had given them “No Objection Certificate (NOC) as well. Peculiarly enough, the Left Front Government did not find anything wrong in the running of Vidya Bharati schools. Not only that, many children from Congress and Communist families attend these and many of them have come out in School examinations with flying colours. They have all praise for Vidya Bharati schools.
Shri Jishnu Basu, RSS Prant Karyavah, said all these disaffiliated schools authorities have gone to the High Court seeking reddressal against the illegal action of the TMC Government. The Calcutta High Court on its own had given a fitting judgment quashing the State Government’s illegal order.
Shri Basu said he expects more such verdicts in favour of the Vidya Bharati schools. On the other hand, almost all Secondary Schools in the State are running without teachers. Admitting this fact the State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee approached MLAs of all parties in the Assembly saying ‘let us appeal to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to amicably sort out this problem’.
Question is: What is this problem? Who has created it? Same questions have been asked by both the ruling and opposition parties. Actually, the allegation is that the ruling party was out to appoint its henchmen in schools. Democratic minded organisations had gone to court to straighten the strong arm policy of the ruling party for appointing Higher Secondary teachers ignoring their teaching qualifications. Education Minister thundered in the Assembly “let us first find out who has dared to challenge our policy of teacher appointment. We shall see to it”. The Minister’s challenge was greeted with ‘shame’ shame’ slogans.
