Panaji (Goa) In the major decision, the Directorate of Education has instructed all the schools to avoid practices of unfair means of admissions of children, failing which their annual grants would be suspended.

“It is brought to the notice of the department that many schools resort to unfair means in the admission process which include advertising the admission process, holding of screening test, interview of parents, receive fees etc,” Director Education Gajanan Bhat said.

The management and the heads of schools are instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the department for the process of admission and avoid practices of unfair means in the admission process.

As per Section 13 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (1)No school or person shall, while admitting a child, collect any capitation fee and subject the child or his parents or guardian to any screening procedure. (2)Any school or person, if in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (i) a) receives capitation fee, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to ten times the capitation fee, (b) subject a child to screening procedure shall be punishable with fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees for the first contravention and fifty thousand rupees for each subsequent contraventions.

“It is therefore mandatory for the heads of the schools and the managements to refrain from such practices failing which penal action including suspension of grants may be initiated,” Bhat said.