Orissa High Court supports grant-in-aid for unaided schools

The Orissa High Court made an important ruling on Wednesday regarding grant-in-aid for schools and colleges. The court stated that unaided schools, girls' schools, and higher secondary schools cannot be denied benefits under the old Grant-in-Aid (GIA) Order of 1994 if their cases were recommended before the order was canceled. The GIA Order-1994 allowed the state government to provide full grants to teaching and non-teaching staff of private educational institutions. However, this order was repealed, and a new GIA Order-2004 was introduced on February 5, 2004. The new order only provides partial grants for the employees of private schools and colleges. This decision came after reviewing more than one hundred appeals related to employees' entitlement to grants under the earlier GIA Order-1994. The ruling emphasizes the rights of employees in various aided educational institutions concerning their salary and benefits.