[Lgpolicy-list] [lg policy] Bangalore: More private schools under scanner

[Harold Schiffman]

More private schools under scanner

Tanu Kulkarni
     inShare

  The criminal case filed by the Department of Public Instruction against a
private school in Jalahalli — where a three-year-old was allegedly raped —
for running classes illegally, has put the spotlight on more such schools
that are functioning without obtaining the required permission.

A visit by *The Hindu *to some of the 81 schools in Bangalore, which were
declared “unauthorised” for various violations in the beginning of the
academic year, revealed that many still continue to run.

While some of these schools shut down after cases were filed against them
in the jurisdictional police station, others continue to function — one
such example in Govindarajanagar.

When this correspondent visited the school, a representative said, “We are
in the process of obtaining documents.”

The DPI is yet to collate the action-taken report regarding unauthorised
schools from the officials.

Mulla Halli Suri, president of Parents’ Association, said the 81 schools
were just the tip of the iceberg and more such schools continued to
function.

The Indian Human Rights and Anti Corruption Cell on Monday alleged that
seven chains of schools were functioning illegally. An attempt in January
by Right to Information activist, retired Wing Commander G.B. Athri, to get
details on these violations has not yielded results. His RTI query had
sought to know the number of sanctions accorded to start Kannada-medium
schools in and around Bangalore, the number of No-Objection Certificates
issued to schools to offer CBSE and ICSE syllabi, the number of
Kannada-medium private schools, and reports of annual spot inspections
conducted by the department officials. Despite the deadline of the
Karnataka Information Commission’s order to furnish all details in 45 days
having passed on October 20, the Education Department has not acted upon
it. Instead, letters have been circulated within the department, passing
the buck on each other.

Only one Block Education Officer from Anekal replied that 23 of the 25
schools affiliated to the central board had NOCs. The department officials
said they were yet to ascertain whether the two schools are illegal.

Wg. Cmdr. Athri alleged that the unwillingness of the department officials
to part with details showed that they were hand in glove with school
managements. The most common violation is of the State’s language policy,
according to which the medium of instruction in lower primary classes
should be the child’s mother tongue or Kannada. But many private schools,
which on record are Kannada-medium schools, are functioning as
English-medium schools.

The department officials pleaded helplessness as the issue was in court
until recently. After the Supreme Court quashed the State government’s
review petition on the language policy judgement, private school
managements had asked schools to convert their status as English-medium
schools.

 *Readers can send their feedback by mailing to
letters.bangalore at thehindu.co.in <letters.bangalore at thehindu.co.in> or
contact us through our Twitter account (https:/twitter.com/BloreConnect
<http://twitter.com/BloreConnect>) or Facebook account
(www.facebook.com/BloreConnect <http://www.facebook.com/BloreConnect>).*


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