Karnataka schools slam dept’s circular on renewal terms, ETEducation
Bengaluru: Private schools across Karnataka have raised objections after the department of School Education and Literacy reissued the renewal of recognition (RR) conditions for the next academic year, reinstating requirements they had already contested in court.
The department has once again mandated the submission of building safety, fire safety, and land conversion certificates as part of the RR process — a move schools say is impractical for older institutions and opens doors to harassment and corruption.
“The high court, in its Nov 14, 2022 order, had quashed the mandatory fire and building safety rules, stating they applied only to schools started after 2018,” said D Shashi Kumar, secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS). “The case is still pending, so issuing a fresh circular now is inappropriate,” he added.
Following a request from MLC Puttanna, chief minister Siddaramaiah has directed the formation of a legislative committee to address private schools’ grievances. The department has also made online submission of applications mandatory, but managements have urged minister Madhu Bangarappa to accept documents already uploaded last year and grant renewals based on undertakings, instead of requiring repeated submissions.
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