Panel to be set up to formulate law for private schools

Chennai: The state government has informed the Madras HC that it is taking effective steps to constitute a high-level committee to formulate a comprehensive legislation to govern all private schools in the state.

P. Alagesan, joint secretary, school education department, was responding to a public interest litigation, filed by former Union minister R. Velu, seeking to declare as illegal the code of regulations for matriculation schools in the state.

Velu also sought a direction to the authorities to cancel the recognition granted to matriculation schools, except those enjoying recognition of the Madras and Madurai universities, as on June 1, 1976. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, hearing the PIL, listed it for Thursday.

In Tamil Nadu, matriculation schools were governed by the code of regulations for matriculation schools, Anglo-Indian schools, by the code of regulations for Anglo-Indian schools, nursery and primary schools, by the code of regulations for approved and nursery and primary schools and all other schools by the Tamil Nadu Private Schools (Regulation) Act 1973, Alagesan said. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force from April 1, 2010. The government framed and notified rules based on it.