Plea questions TN move to regulate CBSE schools

CHENNAI: Ten days after the Tamil Nadu government issued circulars to CBSE and ICSE schools, asking them to get recognition from the state school education department, thereby effectively bringing them under its jurisdiction, a school has approached the Madras high court challenging the legality of the order.
Justice M M Sundresh, before whom the petition of Kamala Niketan Montessori School, Trichy, came up for admission on Friday, issued notices asking additional government pleader (education) P Sanjay Gandhi to file a counter-affidavit in eight weeks.
In the petition, the school's administrative officer P R Sathiamoorthy said CBSE schools followed the education laws laid down by the central board. Accordingly, following a communication in August 2011 from the CBSE, the affiliated schools had started implementing the provisions of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act).
The state government on September 18, 2014 notified an order amending rules and bringing CBSE schools under the jurisdiction of the state school education department. On November 25, 2014, it wrote to CBSE schools calling upon the principals to file Form-I application (for recognition) by November 26.
When the Trichy school sought time and replied that it could not respond without taking legal opinion on the matter, the authorities issued a show-cause notice on November 28.
Noting that the state was trying to interfere with curriculum and syllabi of CBSE schools, Sathiamoorthy said it would lead to anomalous situation, as they are already complying with various rules and conditions laid down for all CBSE schools in the country by the central board.
"Since CBSE itself is part of the central government, CBSE-affiliated schools are not only deemed, but actually, come under the control of the central government. When the school has already obtained recognition from CBSE, insisting that it should obtain one more certificate of recognition from the government of Tamil Nadu is not only superfluous but plainly unreasonable," the school said.