Bhubaneswar, : Many students are enrolled in government schools, yet the schools themselves often remain deserted. Despite this, attendance records show students present every day. In reality, students attend private schools for their education. This has been observed in several private Odia-medium schools across the state. These private institutions, lacking government approval for higher classes, enroll students under the name of a nearby government school. They then collect admission fees, tuition fees, and other charges from the students. Even for issuing matriculation certificates, they demand arbitrary amounts of money and threaten not to provide the certificates if the fees aren’t paid. Many parents have raised complaints about this.
Parents are misled by being told that their children will be officially enrolled in a government school while attending classes at the private school. They are assured of receiving government benefits and regular attendance records. The private school authorities lure them with promises of good exam results and personal attention to their child’s performance.
Posters and advertisements are used to attract enrollments. A similar scenario is evident in a private school in Sompur, Jagatsinghpur district, and in another Odia-medium private school in Deogarh district. There, students are officially enrolled in nearby government schools while studying in the private ones.
Attendance Without Presence in School
► With Full Cooperation from Government School Authorities
According to complaints, 39 private schools in Jatani have been granted permission only up to class VIII. Yet, they continue to teach classes IX and X. These private school authorities claim to run these upper classes as well. After students complete class VIII, parents are forced to continue in the same school for higher classes. When questioned, “How can you admit students when your school isn’t approved for class IX and X?” the response is often evasive.
► Fees Collected for Everything from Admission to Tuition
Once a student is enrolled, the real business begins. Students’ names are registered in government schools connected with the private ones. These government school authorities are often paid handsomely by the private institutions for this arrangement. The student receives all government benefits, but does not attend the government school. Instead, they are taught at the private school, where various fees like admission, tuition, and form-filling charges are collected.
This issue isn’t limited to one school. In the Delanga block of Puri district, two such private schools are operating. These schools even conduct government board exams through affiliated government schools. Shockingly, when it’s time to issue certificates, the signature registers of the government schools are brought to the private ones, and students receive certificates from the government school while never having studied there. Parents are concerned about how such documents are transferred to private schools.
Despite being aware of these illegal activities, local and district education authorities remain silent. When questioned, they often say, “We don’t know. We’ll investigate if we receive a complaint.” Some parents have lodged formal complaints with the Education Department regarding these issues.
