Officials asked to reveal status on school timings
Petitioner alleges that authorities failed in implementing court orders
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to inform the status on implementation of two orders passed by it with regard to school timings and also implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a PIL by K. Gurumurthy, an advocate of Nellore district, and A. Vijaya Mohan Reddy, president of Forum for Better Vikrama Simhapuri seeking to direct the authorities for effective implementation of the RTE Act and to take steps to prevent corporal punishments being given to children in schools and for regulating school timings and weight of the school bags.
Mr Gurumurthy submitted that the High Court in December 2013 passed an order by directing the state government to take steps within three months for implementation of the RTE Act by using its own funds without waiting for the grant in aid from the Centre. Similarly in September 2013, the High Court also granted an order by directing the all the district educational officers of the state to strictly adhere to the school timings proposed by the directorate of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), he added.
He submitted that the authorities have failed in implementing both orders of the court.
The bench directed the counsel for the education department to furnish the derails of the implementation of court orders within a week.