Jaipur, Aug 18 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of the state government’s order restricting unauthorised entry, photography and videography in government schools, questioning whether such a major decision was taken after consultation with Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and the Cabinet.
The order was issued on Monday after Cockroach Janta Party’s Ashutosh Ranka announced that he would be visiting schools across Rajasthan under the outfit’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign to conduct an audit of the schools that are in “poor” condition.
Speaking to reporters, Gehlot said the order had effectively restricted access to schools at a time when issues related to the education sector were already being debated across the country.
“Did the minister discuss it with the chief minister? Was the entire Cabinet consulted on this order? Did the Cabinet collectively take this decision? We want to know,” the senior Congress leader said.
Referring to the restrictions, Gehlot said, “You have stopped the media from going inside. Others also cannot enter. There are dozens of reasons for which people need to visit schools, and you have said they cannot enter without permission.” The Rajasthan Education Department issued directions barring outsiders from entering government school premises without prior permission of the head of the institution.
The order also restricts photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming involving students, teachers or school activities without prior written permission.
The department has cited the safety, dignity and privacy of children while issuing the directions. Gehlot said education and healthcare were the two basic areas of concern for the people and called for fundamental changes in the education sector. PTI SDA KSI KSI
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.