Bengaluru: The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) may shut all the seven branches of Orchids, The International School in the city, putting the future of nearly 6,000 students in danger, as an internal inquiry revealed that the medium of instruction is English and not Kannada in these schools, which is in violation of the condition laid down by the state government, department sources told Deccan Chronicle.
After a three-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at the Jalahalli branch of the school, the department initiated the inquiry and found that none of the branches had obtained official recognition.
"They don't have permission to run even the pre-nursery and nursery sections. We need a high-level probe as questions are being raised about lack of monitoring by block-level education officers," the source said.
"According to the state education act, a school can be shut if it violates the medium of instruction policy. A school cannot operate without valid recognition from any of the boards," he said.
"The academic year has already crossed the halfway mark and it is not easy to find alternative schools for Orchids students. The school has admitted children from disadvantaged groups under the Right to Education quota and the future of these students too should be considered before taking any decision," the official said. Repeated calls to school authorities went unanswered.
Won’t send kids today: Parents
“We will not send our children to the school till a decision is taken on restarting of all the classes. We want action against the management, and the government should protect the interest of students,” parents of students at Orchids, The International School at Jalahalli said on Sunday.
The parents said they are scheduled to meet Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar on Wednesday and they will decide on sending the children after that.
Gundanna sent to 6 day custody
Bengaluru: Gundanna, the 45-year-old office assistant of Orchids, The International School, who was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in the shcool, has been remanded to police custody for six days.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths who arrested Gundanna on Saturday produced him before a magistrate at his residence in the National Games Village in Koramangala on Sunday evening.
