NEW DELHI: The transfer of management for the Raksha Anusandhan School (RAV) in Dehradun, which receives partial funding from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has stirred concern among the school’s staff and teachers. Scheduled to transition from the Defence Research Educational Society (DRES) to the DAV College Trust & Management Society on April 20 of this year, educators fear potential negative changes to their salary structure.
Established in 1993, RAV is a co-educational school affiliated with the CBSE. According to a DRDO official, the agency had previously provided partial funding to seven such institutions, enabling easier access to education for children of its employees in remote areas. However, the DRDO has now opted to allow a professionally run educational trust to manage these schools, including five others located in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh.
“The purpose of this transition is to enhance governance, operational efficiency, and promote sustainable institutional development,” stated the DRES president in a press release. He clarified that while DRDO had been financially supporting RAV, this support does not equate to ownership or administrative control. “Current employees of RAV under DRES are not government employees; their employment is subject to the rules and regulations outlined in DRES bye-laws, not government service conditions,” he emphasized.
Despite these clarifications, protests from the teachers and staff of RAV Dehradun regarding the management change continue. The DRES president urged all stakeholders to recognize the provided clarifications and stated that any contrary interpretations should be regarded as inaccurate.
