Bengaluru: Action will be taken against Vibgyor school, but “closing it is not an option,” said Home Minister K.J. George at his residence on Monday. He received a group of parents and members of the group Whitefield Rising, who presented him with a memorandum on safety measures for schools. “The Education and Home Ministries have taken charge and the government is backing all of you,” he said reassuringly. “I would have come to the spot during the crisis, but I was in Kodagu, because I am the in-charge minister there,” he said. “However, even though the school will not be shut, action will be taken against the management,” he promised, before directing the group to join the delegation at Vikas Soudha.
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| Activist R.K. Misra and members of Whitefield Rising met Home Minister K.J. George at his residence and submitted memorandum regarding the rape incidents in the city on Monday (Photo: R Samuel) |
The Education and Home Ministries have drafted a list of regulations that will bring every school in the state under their umbrella. The regulations will be released in the next two days, said Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakar, at a meeting with parents from Vibgyor school and members of Whitefield Rising, along with outgoing Police Commissioner Raghavendra H. Auradkar at Vikas Soudha on Monday morning. Mr Ratnakar stated that they are not willing to let the management get away. “It is difficult to proceed without conducting a thorough examination, for which we are calling a meeting with the principal and all the teaching staff from the school,” he said.
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“We are willing to amend our draft to accommodate suggestions from parents, as long as they are within the purview of the law,” said Mr Ratnakar. He said a meeting with authorities would be conducted immediately after the session with the delegation of parents and instructed them to send in their suggestions by Tuesday evening. “Our own guidelines will be made more stringent and we have also planned to meet with the staff of Vibgyor school on Tuesday, to get their suggestions. After that, we will chalk out an action plan.” He stressed that the principal focus was to safeguard the interests of the parents and students. The minister, who wrote to the ICSE Board recommending the de-recognition of the school, said that he will not withdraw the letter, because action must be taken against the management at any cost.
High drama unfolded at the meeting, with parents breaking down and pleading that the strictest punishment be meted out. “The accused had videos on his laptop. Is this part of a bigger controversy?” demanded Mahendra Kumar, who has two children studying in Vibgyor. “My child told me she didn’t want to skate, but I thought she was trying to get out of an activity. I told her she must continue. What do I do now?” he asked.
Checking the backgrounds of teachers and other staff brought on board is critical, argued parents. “Private schools are very high-handed, they don’t allow even the authorities inside, but the new regulations will put an end to it,” he said.
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Concerns stemmed from the fact that the culprit had been working in another school from which he had been sacked for “unacceptable conduct.” He was still given a job at Vibgyor, as the previous school tried to hush it up and this one had no way of knowing, said urban expert R.K. Misra, who accompanied the parents.
Several parents were concerned that schools are forcing parents to sign disclaimers that absolve the management of responsibility, especially in classes that have been outsourced and on school buses. “We are scared that if we don’t sign, our children will not be allowed on the school bus,” said a
parent. Mr Ratnakar said, “The schools are just capitalising on the parents’ fears. These documents will not stand the scrutiny of courts as they are not within the purview of the law.”
