Karnataka Education Minister to Ease Compliance Regulations for Private Schools, ETEducation
Bengaluru: Karnataka education minister Madhu Bangarappa assured the managements of private schools on Sunday the state govt would relax the number of compliance parameters, including building and fire safety norms, required to obtain renewal of recognition for schools. From a total of 65 conditions which were mandatory, the number was brought down to around 30, and the department aims to bring it down to 25, he said.”The aim is to simplify the process so that you don’t have to come to our offices at all. If I come across any kind of harassment by officials, I will not hesitate to punish them,” he said at the ‘Vision Mission’ education conference, organised by the Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS). P Puttanna, member of legislative council from Bangalore Teachers’ constituency, urged the minister to reduce the ‘interference’ of department officials, including the block education officers. “The department should provide a free zone to private schools. Once the permission is granted, why should the officials bother the schools?” he questioned, adding Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) also seeks several documents from schools. However, the minister stated that various departments operating under their respective mandates cannot be disturbed.A House panel under Puttanna’s leadership was formed to investigate the challenges faced by private schools, especially in submitting old documents and plan approvals sought by the department for renewal of recognition, the minister said.
Bangarappa also spoke of the challenges he encountered early in his tenure, handling the education portfolio. “There was a saying that if a certain politician’s career was to be ruined, he or she should be made the education minister. But I don’t believe in this,” he said and highlighted initiatives such as the introduction of webcasting during exams, conducting 3 sets of exams for SSLC, reducing the passing percentage to 33, and refusing to charge fees for the second and third SSLC exams.
BOX: Two options for mathematics
Private school representatives urged minister Madhu Bangarappa to introduce 2 options for mathematics for SSLC students, on the lines of the CBSE initiative. Students studying in class 10 in CBSE schools are given the option to choose between the standard and basic variants of the mathematics curriculum. “Giving a similar option for state board students helps remove the fear of mathematics that many students suffer from. It also helps them score better in the SSLC exam,” KAMS general secretary D Shashi Kumar said, adding this would help at least 50,000 students every year.
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