40 per cent of private schools functioning without valid recognition

Bengaluru: 40% of the private schools in the city are operating without any valid recognition or affiliation. This is an estimate by the Karnataka Private Schools’ Joint Action Committee, which is now spearheading a campaign against illegal schools in the city.

The sexual assault in a nursery school at Orchids, the International School, Jalahalli, in the city has stirred the apathetic Department of Public Instruction (DPI) into action. The DPI has decided to shut down the school, which has been conducting classes illegally up to grade 7.

Hundreds of schools like Orchids, which claim to be Kannada medium but in reality instruct in English and have no recognition from any board, have been allowed to set up educational institutes and teach kids.

According to insiders at the DPI, the main issue is the affiliation and medium of instruction. "Generally, national boards like CBSE/ICSE gives provisional affiliation first and after a couple of years, schools were granted permanent affiliation. In such a scenario, schools find it very difficult to woo the parents and students.

So they approach the state education department seeking admission. As per the language policy followed by the state government,  a school should have Kannada as the medium of instruction between classes 1 and V.

In the absence of a monitoring system, schools are openly flouting the conditions. Parents never ask the schools to produce their affiliation certificate at the time of admission. This has led to all the problems," explained an officer.

No online database:
Absence of an online data base is the major problem. According to the parents, if all the affiliated  boards, including DPI, CBSE, ICSE publish the school data online, then it is very easy for parents, the departments and concerned agencies to initiate stern action.

According to academician Mrs. Ranjitha Sharma, the problem can be solved easily if all the affiliated agencies go online. "Using IT extensively is the only solution.

If school information were availaable  online, more than half of the students would have never joined Orchids, the  International School. Unfortunately in the absence of an online info system, parents went ahead and admitted their kids.”

She added, “Schools are overcharging in the name of international/ national boards. It is surprising how local DPI officials didn't know about this school!"

New challenges:
According to Mr. Phanindra Bhat, an advocate, "Schools are launching day care centers inside the campus. But DPI has no rules and regulations to regulate these day care centers.

Pre-nursery schools and nursery schools ensure more revenue than any other courses in the state. But the state government has no special law to regulate these two classes. There is need of a comprehensive law," he said.