Section 15: Responsibility of the Educational Agency

(1) For the purposes of this Act, any decision or action taken by the school committee in respect of any matter over which the school committee has jurisdiction shall be deemed to be the decision or action taken by the educational agency. (2) Where the competent authority is satisfied that the secretary or any member of the school committee of a private school is responsible for any lapse or irregularities in managing the affairs of the school, the educational agency shall take such action against the person concerned as it may deem fit. (3) The competent authority may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, by an order declare the secretary or any member of the school committee as unfit to hold the office and direct the educational agency to remove the secretary or such member of the school committee, as the case may be: Provided that no order under this sub-section shall be made, unless the person holding the office of the secretary or any member of the school committee, as the case may be, is given an opportunity of making representation. (4) On receipt of a direction from the competent authority under sub-section (3), the educational agency shall, notwithstanding anything contrary to the rules or the code of conduct, remove forthwith the person concerned from the office of the secretary or the member of the school committee and appoint any other eligible person in his place. (5) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (4), and without prejudice to the provisions contained in section 31, if the educational agency disobeys or wilfully fails to comply with any direction issued under sub-section (3), the competent authority may, by order in writing, remove forthwith such person from the office of the secretary or the member of the school committee of that private school.