Vidarbha's private schools, colleges to observe Close(band)h on Aug 10

All the private schools and colleges across Vidarbha would remain close on August 10 to press for their long pending demand for releasing the non salary grant.

A decision to this effect was unanimously at a joint meeting of the directors of the private school and college managements held at Yeovatmal yesterday.

The meeting was presided over by the president of the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Sansthan Sanchalak Mandal, Devisingh Shekhawat, husband of President Pratibha Patil.

Shekhawat flayed the Maharashtra government for withholding the non salary grant of the private school and college managements across the State and demanded the government to release it along with the arrears.

According to information, the state government has stopped relasing the non salary grant in a phased manner starting from 1992 and it was totally stopped from 1995.

Despite repeated memoranda, the government has failed to address the issue. Moreover, the non-salary grant due hasreached to Rs five crore, Shekhawat said.

He has threatened that if the government failed to ensure the payment of non-salary grant from this academic year, theschool and college buildings would not be given for conducting board and university examinations.