HPPEIRC Shimla slaps Rs 34 lac penalty on  NCFSE Group of Institutions 

The Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, Shimla today slapped more than Rs 34 lakh penalty against the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) SCO – 51, FF, Near Best Price, Zirakpur Punjab  – 140603 for violating admission norms of training hundreds of Pre nursery and Nursery teachers belonging to 17 Educational Institutions under franchise course arrangement. In a ten paged order passed by two members  of HPPEIRC Shimla comprising of chairman Major General Atul Kaushik) and Member (Dr. Shashi  Sharma) on Wednesday said that certificate or diploma issued by respondent (NCFSE)  or any other institutions to the students in Himachal Pradesh for Diploma in Nursery Teacher Training (Two year ) and Nursery Teacher Training (one year) programs was in violation of regulations of National Council for Teacher Education, as it stood invalid during scrutiny of the matter .

The Commission intiated Suo Moto petition on August 18, 2022  againsit NCFSE Group of Institutions  on the basis of an advertisement that appeared in two vernacular regarding providing Diploma in Nursery Teacher Training, Early Childhood Care Education, Yoga Teacher Training, Nanny, conducted by the respondent under the MSME Technology Development Centre, Meerut, an organization under Ministry of MSME Government of India.

The  Commission wanted to verify the genuineness of this Nursery Teacher Training program and agreements executed by the respondent with various institutes or colleges or schools located in Himachal Pradesh.

In a detailed order passed today the Commission directed the respondent and the colleges/institutes to refund the amount of fee received from the students for Diploma in Nursery Teacher Training (Two year) and Nursery Teacher Training (one year) programs along with the interest at the rate of 9% per annum.

It also ordered that affiliating University should take appropriate action against the Institutes or  Colleges who have signed MOU with the respondent without any sanction from any competent authority.

Commission was informed by the respondent Institutes and state directorate of Elementary Education that total amount of fee Rs 1,702,740 ( Seventeen Lakhs Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty Rupees Only ) was  charged from the students.

HPPEIRC excercising its fee regulatary  power under sec. 11 of HPPERC Act 2010, r / w rule 6 (b) of HPPERC rules, 2011 decided to impose penality amounting to Rs.  34.05.480 (Thirty Four Lakhs Five Thousand Four Hundred and Eighty) on the respondent for violating admission norms.

The Order also emphasized that it appears from the fact that there is involvement of misappropriation of fund /breach of trust / fraud, therefore, the Director Elementary Education is directed to initiate criminal proceedings by way of filing an FIR into the matter.

That the matter with respect to list given by the respondent along with his reply of other institutes running the Diploma in Nursery Teacher Training (Two year) and Nursery Teacher Training (one year) would be dealt separately.

The Commission fails to understand as to how respondent entered MOU with the MSME-TDS (PPDC), Meerut for conducting this training Program whereas the MSME-TDS  domain is for the sports goods and is not authorized to grant the Diploma in Nursery Teacher Training (Two years) and Nursery Teacher Training (One year), not mentioned in their Schedule of courses.

The submission made by the respondent that nursery teacher training (NTT) is a skilled development course described by the MSME-TDS (PPDC), Meerut and is covered under the early childhood educator Craftsmen Training Scheme. The Commission observes that the Early Childhood Educator trade (renamed from pre-preparatory School management Assistant) under CTS is one of the skill courses delivered nationwide through a network of ITIs. It found that training of nursery teachers is domain of elementary Education however no state and central Educational official could issue NOCs for such franchise arrangement under skill development.

The finding of Commission also observed in the order that the respondent to wrongfully gain monetary benefits from the students of Himachal Pradesh, gave advertisement in the newspaper for conducting the programs and signed MOU with the 17 Institutes, colleges & schools of the state without obtaining any authorization from any competent authority and  following any norms of National Council for Teacher Education(NCTE).