Parent block roadway protesting Education Department rescinding NOC to school in Fazilka

Parents of students of Mata Gujri Senior Secondary School in Chak Suhele Wala village have stopped the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway close to Jalalabad town in protest of the Education Department’s decision to revoke the school’s No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

The demonstration made commuters’ lives more difficult.

The Education Department canceled the NOC for Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation on January 4 of this year, citing claims made by the school administration that they had infringed against panchayat land, which was awarded around 19 years ago.

The management of the school has now been asked in a new letter dated March 15 by District Education Officer (Secondary) Fazilka not to offer admission to students for the academic year 2024–2025 and to provide the necessary transfer certificate to the students who are currently enrolled in the school.

The parents begged to know where they would be admitted, as their children had already attended the school for a number of years. They have insisted for a minimum one-year extension in the NOC. There are now 2,200 pupils enrolled in the school, and it is unclear what will happen to them in the future.

It is important to note that Vardev Singh Noni Mann, the son of late SAD MP Zora Singh Mann, is in charge of the schools in his hometown of Chak Suhele Wala. According to reports, Mann is running for the SAD ticket from the parliamentary seat of Ferozepur.

There will be an impact on 2,200 pupils.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Fazilka requested in a letter dated March 15 that the school’s administration not accept new students for the academic year 2024–2025 and that the students already enrolled in the institution get the required transfer certificates. There are now 2,200 pupils enrolled in the school, and it is unclear what will happen to them in the future.