The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Karnataka, has issued notice to at least 700 schools that have illegally claimed affiliation with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Over 600 of these private schools are located in the state capital, Bengaluru.
Parents of children studying in a few branches of Orchids The International Schools, which also has been issued notice by DSEL, protested raising concern over their ward’s future, reported a leading news daily. They alleged that the management claimed to have a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliation, while they were affiliated with the state board.
The DSEL has currently formed a three-member committee to check the schools’ affiliation status and any other related issues in their jurisdiction. This three-member committee is headed by Block Education Officers in each taluk.
“If there are any unregistered private schools running, we need to close them. But if the schools have been registered, but are affiliated to one board and are claiming that they are affiliated to another, and are teaching that syllabus, we will have to take action according to the Karnataka Education Act,” said Vishal R., Commissioner for the Department of Public Instruction.
Read | Gujarat Board to Decide on Dress Code For Teachers and Staff Members
There are also numerous cases where schools are being run illegally without affiliation to any of the boards, the report added. There are reports that the Nagarabhavi branch of the Orchids International School has currently been ordered to halt new student enrolments.
Orchids The International School, however, has released a statement claiming all of its schools have the required affiliation to operate in the state. “9 of our schools have CBSE/ICSE affiliation. Our recently opened schools are proposed to be CBSE schools in the future and are undergoing the affiliation process by getting all the approvals/ permissions/ recognitions in place,” reads the official statement.
“As per government regulation, all the schools have to be first affiliated to the state board to be able to apply for national/international board affiliation and Orchids The International School, brand of school has the required state board permissions. The school is eligible to file for CBSE affiliation only when grade 8 commences. There are several approvals required from the education department to get state NOC and thereby CBSE affiliation. This is a time-consuming and lengthy process. Normally it takes 3 – 4 years for a school to formally get CBSE affiliation depending on when the school reaches Grade 8,” the statement added.
“The entire affiliation process got delayed due to the pandemic situation. We have all the necessary infrastructure and pedagogy to get affiliated with CBSE and hence, we are confident that soon we will get affiliated. We maintained complete transparency in our admission documentation,” it added.
Meanwhile, P Bylanjanappa, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Bengaluru South, asserted that the three-member committee has recently issued schools a questionnaire with 50 questions. The private schools are asked about their affiliation, children’s safety measures, and other issues in the questionnaire, the report adds. Only based on the school’s reply, any further action will be taken by the DSEL.
The issue of false CBSE affiliation first came to light after the Karnataka government’s decision to hold public exams for Classes 5 and 8. This sudden decision forced many schools across the state (that had previously claimed CBSE affiliation) to start using State Board textbooks. They even changed their teaching methods in preparation for the upcoming exams.
Read all the Latest Education News here
Comments
0 comment