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The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Cases of poisoning of drinking water in government schools: DSEL issues SOP for children's safety
Following two shocking incidents of miscreants poisoning the drinking water tanks of government schools in Shivamogga and Belagavi districts, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed by headmasters every day in their schools. The Commissioner of Public Instruction has issued the circular with a total of 25 points to be followed, including checking drinking water regularly and ensuring that the sump is locked. These aspects should be checked, confirmed, and documented by the headmaster of the school daily. They have to obtain the signature of a visitor to confirm that the procedure has been followed. HMs made accountable Noting lapses in aspects related to safety of children in schools, the note said, 'If headmasters check some basic factors on a daily basis and take precautionary measures, possible mishaps in schools can be avoided.' They have been instructed to take precautionary measures so that there is no lapse in safety, the circular stated. The department has also listed out duties to be performed by the officials regarding the implementation of SOP various levels, including district nodal officers, Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs), Block Education Officers (BEOs), and others. This information should also be entered in the Students' Achievement Tracking System (SATS) every day. Shocking incident Speaking to The Hindu, K.V. Trilok Chandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction, said, 'The incident of miscreants poisoning school water tanks is shocking. In this regard, SOPs have been issued to be followed regularly in every school. All schools have to submit reports to the department.' If they fail, action will be taken against the headmaster concerned, he warned. Recently, miscreants had poisoned the drinking water tanks of two government schools in Shivamogga and Belagavi districts. The police have arrested three people belonging to Srirama Sene in Belagavi district. In the case of Shivamogga, investigation is still on.
New Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Parents in Bengaluru seek 90-day age relaxation for Class 1 admissions in 2026–27
BENGALURU: A group of parents whose children are currently in Upper Kindergarten (UKG) have appealed to the Commissioner of Public Instruction, seeking a 90-day relaxation in age eligibility cut-off for admission to Class 1 for the academic year 2026–27. As per current state policy, children should have completed six years of age by June 1 to qualify for Class 1 admission. However, many children born between June 2 and August 31 fall just short of this requirement, despite completing UKG and being developmentally ready to enter primary school. These parents are requesting that the age cut-off be extended to August 31, to prevent their children from having to repeat UKG solely due to date of birth. In their letter, the parents pointed out that a similar exception was made during the 2025–26 academic year, when the state Education department had allowed children who had completed 5 years and 5 months by June 1 and finished UKG, to enrol in Class 1. That one-time relaxation, granted following widespread concern and consultation with the State Education Policy Commission, had helped thousands of children. Parents fear that without a similar concession this year, children from the next batch will face unequal treatment, despite being in the same learning stage. They have urged the department to maintain fairness by issuing a circular to schools, allowing a 90-day age relaxation for Class 1 admissions in 2026–27. The issue stems from a major policy shift in July 2022, when Karnataka raised the minimum age for Class 1 admission from 5.5 to 6 years, aligning with the Right to Education Act and National Education Policy 2020. To ease transition, implementation of the new rule was deferred until 2025-26.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
14,000 government schools in Karnataka lack land records
Approximately 14,000 government schools in Karnataka lack land records, including khata extracts, regarding land allocation. The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has taken steps to obtain land records within three months by launching 'Government School and Educational Institutions Property Protection Campaign' from July to September this year. The DSEL has recently issued a circular in this regard and has taken steps to protect the properties of government schools, with the assistance of the Revenue Department and district administrations. Clearing encroachments 'The process of registering the properties of government schools in their district in the name of the respective school should be completed, and a report should be submitted to the government. Also, if any property (land, plot, site, and building) of any government school or government educational institution in the jurisdiction of the DSEL is encroached upon, it should be cleared and handed over to the concerned schools,' according to the circular issued by the Commissioner of Public Instruction to all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts. The Commissioner of Public Instruction has directed all the DCs to take necessary steps as per the rules to continuously and permanently protect these properties. Currently, the State has approximately 48,182 government schools. This includes 21,045 primary schools (classes 1-5), 22,086 upper primary schools (classes 1-8), and 5,051 high schools. Most of these schools have been allotted land by the government, while many donors have donated land and sites to many schools. Of these, the land and sites of about 14,000 government schools have not been registered in the name of the respective schools. Schools without land records run the risk of encroachment, with some disputes reaching the courts. In addition, it is also difficult to undertake school development works including construction of new buildings, without the necessary documents. 'In order to fulfill the government's desire to provide free and quality education to the present and future generations, the department's first priority is to save and develop government schools by registering and preserving the lands in the name of the respective schools. With this, there is no possibility of disputes and litigation regarding the ownership of lands. In this context, steps have been taken to preserve the lands of all government schools in the state by registering them in the name of the respective schools,' reads the circular. Registration process The DCs of concerned districts have been instructed to collect the records of the lands of the respective government schools and register them in the name of the school, and if the said lands are encroached upon, have them surveyed by the concerned authority and remove the encroachment. Further, in order to permanently protect the properties of government schools, the Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) has been instructed to identify the government schools that do not have compound walls and take steps to construct compound walls under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. If the properties of any government school are not being used for educational purposes or are unusable, it has been instructed to take necessary steps as per the rules to utilize these properties for educational purposes. Progress in six months K.V. Trilokchandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction, said, 'Previously, about 27,000 government schools in the State did not have land records. In the last six months, land records of about 13,000 schools have been made. A campaign has been started to make land records of the remaining schools, and all pending cases will be completed by the end of September 2025. All DCs have been instructed to follow up in this.'
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karnataka bans tests or interviews for students and parents before admission
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), which has allowed private aided and unaided schools to conduct admission processes for students in April for 2025-26, has strictly prohibited holding tests or interviews for students and parents before admission. The Commissioner of Public Instruction has warned in a circular that action will be taken against schools of all boards that violate the rules under Section 13 (2) (b) of the Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act). The circular states that schools that follow the Central Board Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Indian Certificate of Secondary of Education (ICSE) syllabus must conduct admissions as per the bye-laws/rules of their respective boards, but also abide by the directions/guidelines/circulars issued by the respective State governments, the department has warned. Despite rules 'Despite the existing rules banning tests and interviews of parents and children for school admissions, many private schools are conducting them. Children who fail the test do not get admission. This is also a violation of children's rights. The government should take strict action against such schools,' urged N.S. Shashidhar, a parent from Bengaluru. The circular said the admission process in private pre-primary schools, primary and high schools should be open and transparent. The schedule for admission, seats available, class-wise allocation, and fee information should be published on the notice board, the circular said. 50% seats for girls The circular further said that 50% seats should be mandatorily reserved for girls in all co-educational schools, irrespective of the boards they are affiliated with. The order states that if 50% of girls are not enrolled, the remaining seats should be given to boys as per the reservation rule. On the issue of fees, it said that unaided schools are not allowed to charge capitation fees under the RTE Act 2009. 'Therefore, school managements should publish the fee amount fixed in their schools for the information of the public on the notice board, Students Achievement Tracking System (SATS), school website and in the school prospectus.' Cancellation of recognition Dr. K.V. Trilokchandra, Commissioner of DPI, said that schools that violate rules in the admission process and fee collection will lose their recognition or No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to them by the State.
