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

Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, Shimla today slapped more than Rs 34 lakh penalty againsit  National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) SCO – 51 , FF , Near Best Price , Zirakpur Punjab  – 140603 for violating admission norms to train around hundreds of Prenursery and Nursery  teachers belonging to 17 Educational Institutions under frenchise courses. In 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, stood invalid during secrutiny of the matter . The Commission intiated Suo Moto petition on August 18, 2022  againsit NCFSE Group of Institutions  on the basis of an adversement 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 the various institutes or colleges or schools located in Himachal Pradesh. In detailed order passed today 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 signed MOU with the respondent without any sanction from any competent authority. Commission was informed by the respondents Institute 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 imposeed penalty 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 I.T.Is. Commission found that training of nursery teachers is domains of elementary Education however no state and central Educational official could issue NOCs for such frenchise Institution conduct training under skill development . Finding of Commission also observed that the respondent in order 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).