Latest news with #DSEL
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CS instructs officials not to appoint teachers to revise voters' list
Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has instructed the District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts to appoint non-teaching staff, officers, and staff members working in various departments on priority basis for the task of revising the voters' list, instead of teachers. In a note to the officials, Ms. Rajneesh said that in the public interest, school teachers working under the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) were being made Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for revising the voters' list. 'Due to this, the Principal Secretary of the DSEL has expressed concern that the educational activities in schools are being hampered and the quality of education is decreasing,' she said. 'In the order issued by the Supreme Court on December 06, 2007, in civil appeal, it has been instructed to generally use the services of school teachers during holidays, non-teaching days and to assign non-teaching staff to election duties at any time,' she stated in the note. However, it may be noted that the State Election Commission has decided to appoint about 40,000 teachers as BLOs for this task. The training has already started for BLOs in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits from July 15. Mr. Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education, had objected to this and had instructed the officials of DSEL not to depute teachers for any other tasks, except educational activities. He had also instructed the Principal Secretary of the department to write a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of the State in this regard. 'The government has already issued several orders prohibiting teachers from being assigned to other tasks in order to ensure that they focus more on teaching and respond adequately to the academic development of students and bring about better results. Despite convincing the State Election Commission about this through a letter, it is not right to proceed with appointing teachers as BLOs for the revision of the voter list,' Mr. Madhu Bangarappa said. No teachers for caste census either There was also a speculation that the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission is planning to conduct a fresh Social and Educational Survey (Caste Census) during the upcoming Dasara holidays through government school teachers. However, Mr. Madhu Bangarappa clarified that teachers will not be deputed for any census, including upcoming caste census for any reason. 'The teachers in the State have already successfully completed the Scheduled Caste survey for internal reservation during the summer vacation. Now the State Election Commission is trying to depute teachers for the revision of the voters' list. The Union government has also announced census, which includes enumeration of castes as well in 2027. Each and every census will take at least two to three moths to complete the work. If teachers are appointed for all these tasks, the future of the students will be destroyed. Therefore, it has been decided not to appoint teachers for any census,' he said.
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
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
State govt. announces ‘Free Transport Bhagya' for Karnataka Public Schools students
With an aim to increase the attendance and quality of education in government schools, the State government has decided to provide 'Free Transport Bhagya' to students of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) across the State. Focus on quality Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced this on Friday through his 'X' account. 'The government is committed to the bright future of government school children. The State government has decided to start a free bus facility for students studying from LKG to PUC in KPSes across the State, giving major emphasis to strengthening government schools. This is an important thought by the government to empower the children of the poor academically and financially. The government has taken a bold step to empower government schools,' he stated. However, Mr. Shivakumar did not clarify whether separate buses will be arranged for KPS students under this scheme or free bus passes will be given. To provide quality education from class 1 to II PUC under one roof by effectively utilizing the available resources, the State government had started a total of 276 KPSes for the first time in 2017-18. Currently, a total of 308 KPSes are functioning across the State and teaching is being done from Pre-Primary (LKG) to II PUC. In addition, bilingual classes, including Kannada and English medium, have been started in all KPSes. Huge demand There is huge demand for these schools across the State, and there were instances of parents bringing recommendation letters from local MLAs and public representatives for enrollment in some schools in Bengaluru last year. The number of students in most KPSes has exceeded 2,000. Earlier, the maximum enrollment limit for each class in KPS was 30 students. Given the high demand from students and parents, the maximum limit for pre-primary classes in KPS has been increased to 40 from the academic year of 2025-26, and the maximum limit for primary and high school classes has been increased to 50 students. Cabinet has to decide, insists Reddy Even as the Deputy Chief Minister announced free bus rides for KPS students, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that his department had not received any official order or request from the government or the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) in this regard. 'This decision should be taken in the State Cabinet, then steps will be taken to implement the scheme,' he said, adding that the government will have to bear the cost. 'Free bus travel is already available to all girls and women under the Shakti scheme. Therefore, this will also be applicable to girls of KPS schools. However, we do not have any information about the number of boys in these schools. All the boy students travel in State transport buses using school or college bus passes. We don't know the number of KPS students who have bus passes. Appropriate action will be taken for implementation after receiving a request from the DSEL,' he said.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- The Hindu
Schools without rules
An FIR was registered at the High Grounds Police station in Bengaluru recently against a private school management for admitting 10 students who had scored low marks in class 9 to a government school and getting them to write the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination as private candidates through that school. The private school had collected fees, and they attended classes there through the year too. The police registered the case based on a complaint by the parents. This is not an isolated case and violations of this and other kinds happen year after year, many of which go under the radar. 'My son was admitted to a private school in our area because it is close to our house and has relatively low fees. However, during the SSLC exam, he was registered with another school, and he wrote the exam as the other school's student. When the school management was questioned about this, they asked what was important for us: our son writing the exam or which school he was writing it from. We kept quiet for the sake of our son's future,' says Gayatri Devi, a parent from Bengaluru who faced this situation three years ago. This happened because the school where her son was first admitted was unauthorised. Another parent, Rajashekar, says that last year, a private school whose recognition was not renewed registered its students in the name of a nearby aided school for the SSLC exam. 'When we raised this issue, the school management claimed that they were doing it with the permission of the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board. Our daughter, who actually studied in a private school, is now, as per the documents, a student of an aided school,' he adds. There are several instances of students from unauthorised schools taking the exam as 'private' candidates. In 2024-25, a total of 13,154 students and in 2023-24, a total of 15,479 students were enrolled for the SSLC exam as private candidates. 'Among these, many might have been from unauthorised schools,' a source in the board said. Many unauthorised schools are running across the State, violating the rules and regulations of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL). With officials either unable to stop them or choosing to look the other way, there are no curbs on them. Other rules related to land etc. Apart from admission and examination rule violations, there have also been cases where the norms concerning the very process of setting up schools have been flouted. In the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of Curricula, etc.,) Rules, 1995, there was no rule pertaining to the specific extent of land that needs to be available for establishing new schools. Only the conversion of land for educational purposes and compliance with other rules were mandatory. But the rules were amended in 2017. According to the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of Curricula, etc., Amendment) Rules, 2017, every private body of persons desiring to establish and maintain an educational institution imparting pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher secondary education should own or have on lease for a minimum period of 30 years following minimum contiguous extent of land for the building and playground with permission from relevant authorities. The extent of land varies, as per the number of classes. For instance, an educational institution in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and other municipal corporation areas running pre-primary to higher secondary classes must have 2,000 square metres of land. And in other areas, it is 4,000 sq. m. Additionally, various rules, including those governing land conversion for educational purposes, the building map, and fire and building safety norms, must be followed. Also, it is mandatory to obtain the consent of the local residents before starting a school in any residential area. The Block Education Officer (BEO) of the block concerned should inspect and submit a report to the government in this regard. But many schools that started after 2017-18 in Bengaluru city have not followed any of these rules. Schools being run without the extent of land available for playground, morning assembly, or to park school buses is a common occurrence across the city, and residents constantly complain about the 'nuisance' created by schools owing to this. There are neighbourhoods where moving on the streets around schools, around the time of schools starting or being let off for the day, is virtually impossible. Traffic jams are created by parents' vehicles and school vans before and after school hours. The noise is often unbearable, especially for senior citizens, toddlers, and those suffering from medical conditions, complain neighbours. 'There is a private school near our house, which is always noisy. School vehicles are brought and parked in front of our house. We have complained to the police and the school administration many times, but to no avail. It is difficult to move around due to the traffic jam. It is even impossible to sleep peacefully. The government should not allow schools in residential areas. If a school has been started illegally, it should be closed,' says Ramachandra Gowda, a senior citizen. No action by govt. In 2022-23, the DSEL conducted a survey and identified 1,316 schools across the State as unauthorised. Among these, the department listed 63 schools as running without State or Central board affiliation, 294 schools as illegally offering English-medium education despite permission to teach only in the Kannada medium, and 141 schools for shifting without getting permission from the department, and so on. The department had granted a 45-day grace period for these schools to comply with the rules and rectify their mistakes in April 2023. But these schools failed to act within the stipulated period. The Commissioner of Public Instruction then ordered closure of these unauthorised schools by August 14, 2023. But Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education and Literacy, made a U-turn a day after the department ordered the closure of unauthorised private schools and announced that 'in the interest of students', they would defer this order and 'initiate action in a phased manner'. After five months, on January 9, 2024, the DSEL issued a circular to list unauthorised schools and decided to take legal action against violators. However, due to strong opposition from private schools, the department again abandoned the survey to identify unauthorised schools. After this, it has neither conducted a survey of unauthorised schools nor taken legal action against them. 'Officials, BEOs, and Deputy Directors of Public Instruction have utterly failed to monitor and take legal action against illegal schools. In the interest of students and parents, illegal schools should be closed. But, most of the private schools are run by either the kith and kin of politicians or their close associates. Therefore, officials are also under pressure not to take action, and parents and children end up facing exploitation,' says Umesh G. Gangavadi, State president of the School Development and Monitoring Committee. Shashikumar D., general secretary of the Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka, claims, 'About 90% of the schools started in the State since the new rules came into effect in 2017-18 are operating illegally. The land conversion of most of the schools has not been done. There is not enough space in any residential area to open private schools if you go strictly by rules.' He argued that despite being aware of this, the department is giving permission for opening schools. 'We have written to the School Education Minister several times to take action against unauthorised schools, but to no avail. For example, in a case against an unauthorised school in Hassan district, the court has ordered an investigation and appropriate action against the school and guilty officials, but the authorities have simply not implemented the order. The school has continued its academic activities, including enrollment, this year as well. A letter has been written to the Commissioner of the DPI to take action against the school in question,' says Shashikumar. Annapurna, a parent in Bengaluru, says schools keep parents and children in the dark about the rules and affiliation status. 'Even the authorities do not take strict action against such schools. We enrol our children, and the true colours of the school are revealed only when the students have to take the board exams. Therefore, the government should immediately close unauthorised schools and prevent exploitation of students and parents,' she says. The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has taken a serious view of these violations, since the children are the ultimate victims of the system. 'Some private educational institutions are in effect taking away the right to education of children. Such traumas that children experience during their teenage haunt them for a long time. We will write to the DSEL and ask for details about unauthorised schools in the State. We will also specifically ask for information about private schools where students are appearing for the SSLC exam as private candidates through other schools, and the steps taken by the department against them. In addition, the commission has also decided to take up a suo motu case and investigate the schools where FIRs have already been registered in connection with cases of cheating children,' says K. Naganna Gowda, chairperson of the KSCPCR. 'Government should act' Vanajakshi, a retired headmistress, says that as per the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Registration and Recognition of Commerce Institute) Rules, 1999, the DSEL has the power to close schools that violate rules. 'Only when strict action is taken against schools that violate the rules will the illegal school business come down. Cluster Resource Person (CRP) and Block Resource Centre (BRC) teams are allowed to visit all government, aided, and unaided schools regularly for inspection. However, these teams have failed in their duties, which is a major reason for the mushrooming of unauthorised schools. Therefore, the department officials should monitor the duties of CRPs and BRC personnel,' she says. She points out that most of the unauthorised schools and those operating in violation of rules do not call parents' meeting, which should be a red flag for parents. 'Parents should be aware of this. They should visit schools regularly and inspect the education system and facilities for their children there and ask the right questions,' she suggests.
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Child Helpline - 1098' to be written on school walls, included in textbooks
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has ordered widespread dissemination of the Child Helpline number 1098, which provides 24/7 emergency services to children, in schools and colleges. A circular issued by K.V. Trilok Chandra, Commissioner for Public Instruction, in this regard, directs that all government, aided, private schools and pre-university colleges across the state have to write 'Child Helpline - 1098' on their walls, put it as a seal at the bottom of all pages of textbooks, in all school websites and inform students during morning assembly. 'The government's objective is to provide emergency services to children in distress and need of protection and nurturing. This is a free phone call that children or the public can call and provide protection to children in need of emergency assistance,' Mr. Trilok Chandra said. This move comes against the backdrop of concern over rising cases of abuse faced by children in homes, schools, and public places. For instance, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had reprimanded officials for failing to curb the menace of child marriages in the State. Concerns were also raised over rising teenage pregnancies. Apart from these, punishments including caning children, cleaning toilets by children, physical and mental abuse, and sexual harassment have been reported from schools as well. 'In such situations, children become disoriented and helpless to protect themselves. In this regard, the child helpline has been implemented to provide emergency services to children in need of care and protection. But not many children themselves know about it. These steps will help make children aware that they can seek help from the helpline,' a senior official said. The School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) has welcomed the move of the DSEL to widely promote the Child Helpline. 'Even schools and colleges are not free of child exploitation. After suffering abuse, children are often left devastated, unable to tell anyone, including their parents, about the atrocities committed against them. Therefore, if the Child Helpline is always in front of their eyes, it will be helpful for them to call and protect themselves in emergency situations', Umesh G. Gangavadi, State president of SDMC said.
