The Times of India:Thursday, January 19, 2012.
HYDERABAD: Upset with RTI queries seeking information on its funding, a city school terminated the services of a teacher whose son had filed the applications. K N Saikumar, a 20-year-old B Sc student of Osmania University had sought information using RTI from the district education officer (DEP) about the school where his mother was working for the past one and a half years. The two queries filed with the department, however, angered the management that asked the teacher to leave.
Saikumar had filed two RTI applications on July 15 and October 10, 2011 regarding Bharatha Abhyudaya High School, Jiyaguda, a government-aided school run by Bharatha Abhyudaya Siksha Samithi Trust. In his queries, he sought details about the functioning of the school, which included funds utilized and received, number of teaching and non-teaching staff, their salaries, student strength, number of sanctioned and unsanctioned posts among others.
The school management first warned Saikumar and his mother, K Rukminibhai to stop insisting on these details. Finally, on January 2, 2012, she was dismissed from service. No notice or reason was given. "What I have done is legal under the RTI Act," said Saikumar. Currently, the case is pending at the AP Information Commission as the school had failed to give any information on the two RTIs filed.
According to Saikumar, trouble started soon after he had filed the RTI application with the deputy educational officer, Golconda zone. "Soon after the school management realized that it was me who was seeking details, they started harassing my mother. I was called to the office and warned against filing such queries. After my mother was dismissed, I went to the school management to ask the reason and they said they would take her back if I stopped insisting on details," he said.
Saikumar met the Hyderabad collector on January 9 in this regard and is now planning to move the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) soon.
The school authorities refused to comment. "It is none of your concern to know about this issue and we do not want to disclose or talk about it," said a member of the management of the school.
M Somi Reddy, DEO, Hyderabad district, said that he was aware of the incident and would probe the matter soon and take necessary action on it.
Saikumar had filed two RTI applications on July 15 and October 10, 2011 regarding Bharatha Abhyudaya High School, Jiyaguda, a government-aided school run by Bharatha Abhyudaya Siksha Samithi Trust. In his queries, he sought details about the functioning of the school, which included funds utilized and received, number of teaching and non-teaching staff, their salaries, student strength, number of sanctioned and unsanctioned posts among others.
The school management first warned Saikumar and his mother, K Rukminibhai to stop insisting on these details. Finally, on January 2, 2012, she was dismissed from service. No notice or reason was given. "What I have done is legal under the RTI Act," said Saikumar. Currently, the case is pending at the AP Information Commission as the school had failed to give any information on the two RTIs filed.
According to Saikumar, trouble started soon after he had filed the RTI application with the deputy educational officer, Golconda zone. "Soon after the school management realized that it was me who was seeking details, they started harassing my mother. I was called to the office and warned against filing such queries. After my mother was dismissed, I went to the school management to ask the reason and they said they would take her back if I stopped insisting on details," he said.
Saikumar met the Hyderabad collector on January 9 in this regard and is now planning to move the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) soon.
The school authorities refused to comment. "It is none of your concern to know about this issue and we do not want to disclose or talk about it," said a member of the management of the school.
M Somi Reddy, DEO, Hyderabad district, said that he was aware of the incident and would probe the matter soon and take necessary action on it.
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