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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Principals face ‘charge sheets' for poor board results in Haryana
Gurgaon: Haryana education department has issued charge sheets to five govt school principals in Nuh district for what it calls "unacceptable performance" in the Class X and XII board examinations. Only those principals who have served in their posts for at least six months and whose schools recorded pass rates as low as 20-30% are being targeted. As part of the accountability process, education minister Kanwar Pal had earlier summoned heads of 10 schools each with the worst Class X and Class XII results. After reviewing their performance, formal charge sheets were prepared. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon For Class XII, Nuh district alone accounts for 62 of the 100 lowest-performing schools, highlighting systemic educational challenges in the region. Those served notices will be allowed to present their defence and explain the reasons behind their school's performance. A personal hearing will also be given before disciplinary action — ranging from salary increment stoppage to transfers — is decided. The additional chief secretary (ACS) for school education is overseeing the disciplinary proceedings. These actions mark the beginning of a larger accountability drive targeting principals of underperforming schools across the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Book Now And Save up to ₹23.71L on Luxury Homes in Whitefield Sumadhura Group Learn More Undo The move follows directives from chief minister Nayab Saini and the education minister, who have called for fixing responsibility in cases where schools had adequate staff and resources but still showed dismal academic results. Officials said that the principals have been served notices under Rule 7 (major penalties) and Rule 8 (minor penalties) of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules. One of the charge-sheeted principals, Abdul Nafe of Punhana, responded to the action, saying his school's poor performance was due to a severe faculty shortage, especially in core science subjects. "There were no teachers for chemistry, physics, or biology throughout the year. A chemistry teacher joined in Nov, far too late for preparation," he said, adding that the problem has persisted for the past two years. Only three students passed physics in Class XII from his school this year. The Class XII board results, declared in May 2025, exposed glaring gaps in school performance. Across Haryana, 18 govt schools recorded a 0% pass rate, meaning no student passed. Of these, six were located in Nuh, followed by four in Faridabad, and one each in Gurgaon, Hisar, Jhajjar, Karnal, Palwal, Rohtak, Sonipat and Yamunanagar. The zero-pass schools are part of a broader concern. Data from the Education Directorate shows that 100 govt schools performed poorly overall, overshadowing the state's average pass percentage of 85.7. Among these, 82 schools had pass percentages below 35%, triggering a referral for corrective action to the Education Directorate and the ministry of education. The Haryana govt's crackdown on underperformance signals a policy shift toward measurable accountability in school leadership, with more action expected as investigations continue across the state.
The Print
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Launched by Khattar, how Haryana's Rs 700-cr tablet scheme for govt school students has fallen apart
With no internet access, the tablets have become little more than expensive paperweights for thousands of students, most of whom hail from economically weaker sections, including Scheduled Castes and backward classes. The reason? The government has failed to recharge the SIM cards that came with these devices, leaving students unable to access the Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) app, a key feature meant to provide digital study material. Gurugram: Nearly 5 lakh tablets worth Rs 700 crore, distributed by the Haryana government to students of classes 10 to 12 under a scheme in 2022, are gathering dust across the state. The ambitious e-Adhigam scheme, launched with much fanfare in 2022 under then-chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, aimed to bridge the digital divide for government school students. However, three years later, the initiative lies in shambles, drawing sharp criticism from teachers, school administrators and education experts who say the government's lack of foresight has let down the very students it sought to uplift. The tablet distribution scheme was first announced in April 2022, with the BJP government approving the procurement of 5 lakh tablets at a cost of Rs 620 crore, alongside Rs 47 crore worth of SIM cards, to provide free internet with a daily data limit of 2 GB. An additional Rs 5 crore was allocated for the PAL software, designed to offer e-books, test videos and study materials tailored to the curriculum of classes 10 to 12. During the budget session of the Haryana Assembly in March 2022, the then education minister Kanwar Pal had assured lawmakers that the initiative would 'fill the chasm in digital learning' for those students who could not afford gadgets like smartphones or tablets. The tablets were distributed in May and June 2022 in government schools across the state. At the time, the government hailed the move as a game-changer, particularly for students from Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes who form a significant portion of the student population in these schools. 'The devices will have preloaded content, along with personalised and adaptive learning software, and free internet data will also be provided,' Pal had said in May 2022, shortly before the distribution began. On 23 May this year, the Directorate of School Education issued a letter to all district education officers, instructing students to use internet facilities at home or rely on broadband at schools 'wherever available.' Teachers and school principals have slammed the directive as 'divorced from reality'. 'The students who come to government schools are generally poor. A good majority are from the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. How can the government expect them to have broadband at home? Parents who can afford such luxuries send their children to private schools, not government ones,' a senior secondary school teacher in Rohtak district told ThePrint on Wednesday. A school principal in Fatehabad district echoed this sentiment, saying that even schools lack the infrastructure to support the government's directive. 'Most government schools don't have broadband facilities. The government provides cash stipends, bicycles, books, and uniforms to attract students from marginalized communities, but what's the point if they can't access the study material on these tablets?' the principal asked. In Panipat, another teacher highlighted the irony of the situation. 'First, the government made these students dependent on the internet by giving them tablets with SIM cards. They spent more time on Instagram and YouTube than on the PAL app. But now, the government has stopped providing internet, making the tablets useless,' the teacher said. Also Read: For Haryanvi YouTubers, Pakistan is an ancestral pilgrimage. Jyoti Malhotra isn't alone Tablets turn into tools for entertainment The misuse of tablets has been a persistent issue since their distribution. With free internet access, many students used the devices for non-educational purposes, such as making reels or scrolling through social media. 'The government created a problem by giving them unrestricted internet access in the first place. Now, they've taken it away entirely, leaving the students with nothing,' the Panipat teacher contended. Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda could not be contacted, as the person who answered calls said he was busy meeting workers. In August 2023, ThePrint had reported that sarpanchs had written to the additional chief secretary, school education, to take back the tablets provided to children. The children, they had said, were misusing these gadgets. Pankaj Agarwal, Principal Secretary to the Haryana Government in the School Education Department, acknowledged the misuse of gadgets. 'We've received complaints that students are using the tablets for other activities like making reels or staying active on platforms like Instagram and YouTube,' he told ThePrint. To address this, Agarwal said he has sent a proposal to the state government, which is yet to be approved. The proposal includes two key changes: providing internet leaselines to schools for a stable connection and restricting tablet usage to school hours, rather than allowing students to take the devices home. 'This will ensure that the tablets are used for educational purposes only,' Agarwal said. However, with the proposal still pending approval, students remain in limbo. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: Why UPSC has returned Haryana govt's proposal for promotion of 27 of its officers to IAS
