Reported by Sumita Sarkar in Timesofindia.indiatimes.com on Jun 18, 2012
Jail Road school gets NMC notice, institute denies residents' claim - The Times of India

NASHIK: Woodstock International School at Siddheshwar Nagar in Jail Road was issued a notice on the grounds that the authorities did not acquire permission for it.

The building of the new school, Woodstock International School, has been erected in the residential area of Siddhesh-war Nagar.

The school's authorities, however, said that a school did not need permission to start a pre-primary school according to the government's 'education for all' scheme.

Last week, based on complaints from residents at Siddheshwar Nagar that Scottish Academy International School was starting another branch in the area without permission, the Upanagar police summoned the headmistress of the school. The building of the new school, Woodstock International School, has been erected in the residential area of Siddheshwar Nagar.

The education officer of Nashik Municipal Corporation's (NMC) education department said, "The residents who procured the information through the Right to Information Act said that the building of the new school was registered as residential and they had a doubt that a school was being started there. A few days back a board sporting the name of the new school was put up following which residents in the area filed a complaint at the Upanagar police Station. Woodstock Interantional is a sister concern of Scottish Academy International School. The latter h is an authorized structure."

The officer said that a copy of the criminal offence registered by the residents at the police station had been forwarded to the education department and the deputy director of education.

But Rama Reddy, headmistress at Scottish Academy International School, explained that Woodstock is a pre-primary school and therefore according to rules there is no need to take permission for the construction of a pre-primary school from the education department.

"According to the Right to Education Act, 2009, every child has the right to education and a pre-primary school can be started in a residential area. We informed the education department in writing on May 3, 2012, that we are starting the school. They gave us the notice because they thought that it was a primary school. We got the notice on May 11.

Moreover no notice was given to us directly, the residents of a nearby colony filed a complaint with the Upanagar police station. The police were very cooperative and called me to the police station for clarification.

On May 14, we gave the education department our clarification in writing that it was a pre-primary school,I went to the education department myself and gave it to them in writing that it was a pre-primary school," said Reddy.

School authorities are now waiting for a reply to their clarification from the department, following which they will decide on the future of the new school.