A video of a cultural event held at the Knowledge Beam Academy in the Gonda district during Independence Day celebrations went viral on social media. The video showed schoolgirls dancing in burqas. Following the appearance of this video, Amit Kumar Singh, Deputy Director of Basic Education for the district, dispatched the sector education officer to the location for an inspection.
During the inspection conducted on August 16, it was discovered that the school was operating without official accreditation. Consequently, the sector education officer took immediate action, sealing the school and issuing an order to transfer students to the nearest public educational institutions.
The Director Apologized, Stating All Students Were Hindu
After the controversy surrounding the viral video intensified, the school director, Ramkrishna Maurya, released a video apology. He explained that the event's sole purpose was entertainment, not insulting any community. The director emphasized that all girls participating in the burqa dance were Hindu. Acknowledging his mistake, he promised that such a situation would not happen again and apologized repeatedly.
Inspection Revealed Operation of Unregistered School
The sector education officer inspected the Knowledge Beam Academy, located in Ausani village, Chhapiya block, on behalf of the Department of Basic Education. During the inspection, officials found that the school lacked any legal registration and was operating illegally. Given this serious negligence and illegal activity, the officials immediately sealed the school with a lock.
Students Will Be Enrolled in Neighboring Schools
Amit Kumar Singh, Deputy Director of Basic Education for the district, stated that the most serious issue was the school operating without a license. He instructed the sector education officer to provide a detailed report on the inspection. Furthermore, the sector education officer was tasked with ensuring the immediate enrollment of all students in the nearest primary and secondary public schools to prevent harm to the children's education.