Won’t be centres for HSSC exams, say section of Haryana private schools

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, July 17

A section of private school operators under the aegis of Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference (HPSC) has refused to allow the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) to conduct exams in schools.

The school operators have been unhappy with the HSSC utilising the infrastructure and workforce of private schools for conducting exams during working days.

Have problem with the way premises being used

Operators said they had no objection to exams being conducted, but do have a problem with the manner the premises were being used. While installing CCTV cameras and jammers, no attention was paid to the damage being done to school building and no compensation was given, they claimed,adding that a meagre amount was given to the schools by the commission for conducting an exam while the actual expenses were much higher.

Unhappy as exams on workng days

School operators have been unhappy with the HSSC utilising the infrastructure and workforce of private schools for conducting exams during working days

As per the HPSC, a letter was received from HSSC (Panchkula) regarding the establishment of centres at private educational institutions for upcoming exams to be conducted at private schools in Haryana during July, August, and September, on Saturdays, Sundays, and a few regular working days.

The operators said they had no objection to exams being conducted, but do have a problem with the manner the premises were being used. While installing CCTV cameras and jammers, no attention was paid to the damage being done to school building and no compensation was given, they claimed, adding that a meagre amount was given to the schools by the commission for conducting an exam while the actual expenses were much higher.

Prashant Munjal, zonal president of HPSC, said: “Many schools conduct classes on Saturdays while others allocate Saturdays for administrative works. Consequently, conducting exams concurrently with ongoing classes will pose logistical challenges for school management. Our association filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court last year, and subsequently, a meeting was convened under the chairmanship of the Director, Secondary Education (DSE), Haryana. We were given an assurance that our concerns would be addressed in collaboration with HSSC, following which the writ was withdrawn. However, no further meetings were held.”

The Conference has suggested that the exams be conducted on Sundays only, the schools not be forced to give consent for holding tests, the duty of school staff be optional, and two months’ prior information be given to schools so that they can make arrangements accordingly. Besides this, the remuneration to the staff on duty should be equal to the per day salary for each shift, damage caused to the building should be compensated and the amount given to schools should be at least Rs 125 per candidate with annual increment as per cost of inflation.

“None of our member schools will consent to hosting HSSC exam centres until our demands are accepted. We have written to the District Education Officers in Ambala and Panchkula, and the HSSC Secretary in this regard. If the demands are not met, we will file a writ petition again,” he added.