HSTP closed in Harda dist as well

Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 23:48:57 +0530
Reply-To: eklavyamp
Subject: HSTP closed in Harda dist as well - Update 15

Dear friend,

This morning we received the news from Harda that the Dist. Education Officer (DEO) has issued an order to all the schools closing down HSTP in Harda dist. as well. Most interestingly they don't have any direct order from either the Secy., Education or education department in Bhopal. DEO has referred to a letter written by Amita Sharma, Secretary Education to the Text Book Corporation (TBC) on 6th July saying that "as the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme has been closed down TBC should ensure availability of the other science textbooks" and this order was also marked to the collectors of all the fourteen districts where HSTP is being implemented.

The DEO in Harda has assumed (so will others in the thirteen HSTP districts) that this means that HSTP has been closed down in the entire field area. We feel that the state should take the responsibility and issue a clear order if they have decided to close down HSTP in all the fifteen districts and should not take recourse to such convoluted methods. They should clearly say that while only DPC Hoshangabad had passed such a recommendation, but on the basis of our assessment we have decided to close down the programme in all the 1000 HSTP schools spread over fifteen districts.

At this juncture we request you for another action in support. If you have sent a protest letter to the CM and SABE members, do send it to all the national newspapers as Letter to Editor. This is extremely crucial as it will give us some more media space. In case you don't have the necessary addresses we will try to send these in a day or two. And in case you haven't been able to write to the CM/Gopalakrishnan and SABE members, please do that now. The protest is certainly affecting them.

Thanks for continuing support, Rajesh Khindri, Kamal Mahendroo, Tultul Biswas, Sushil Joshi and others For HSTP and Eklavya