Haryana
On Thursday, the Haryana Government issued orders for shutting down of lower kindergarten (LKG), upper kindergarten (UKG) and nursery classes in all the private schools of the state. Vijay Laxmi Nandal, Elementary Education Officer, Rohtak said that the intention behind the move by the Government is to ensure that children are provided with enough time to play and allow them to grow mentally. With that rationale, official orders were issued to shut down LKG, UKG and nursery classes in schools.
The Education officer also opined that children should be admitted in schools only after they have reached the age of 5 as this will ensure that their mental growth is not hindered in any manner. She also added that all the children under the age of 5 can be sent to Anganwadi schools in the state or play schools where they have the scope of learning while playing. However, as the order was directed to the Private schools, it invoked criticism and protest from Association of Private Schools in Haryana as they demanded the same to be applicable to the Government schools as well.
The District President of Haryana Private School Association, Rohtak, Ravinder Nandal, called out the Government of Haryana on their discrimination and said that the Government schools of the state also intake 4-5-year-old children and as such similar orders should be issued for these schools as well. He also said that if the order issued by the Government is not recalled all the teachers and staff associated with private schools will march out in the streets until the same is implemented. The Haryana Government is yet to respond to the criticism.
