HC directs govt to take over pvt primary school

Cuttack: Orissa high court has directed state govt to take over management of a 35-year-old private primary school in Mayurbhanj district which mostly has tribal students, terming the stand of authorities that teaching/non-teaching staff cannot be taken care of on humanitarian ground as “a misconceived approach”.
Teachers of Pokharisahi Primary School in Betnoti block had moved HC after their claim was rejected by govt in 2013 on the ground that there is no provision under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan to take over the institute, though the students and infrastructure would be taken care of but not the teachers.
Granting relief to the teachers, the single-judge bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra recently observed, “This is a misconceived approach because in view of its constitutional obligation to provide free and compulsory education to the children as also the need to promote the educational needs of the marginalised communities, the govt, by taking over the existing teachers will not be doing a favour on them but would be furthering its constitutional obligations.”