Bengaluru: The suspension of Block Education Officer (BEO) North 2 V.C Basavarajegowda over Orchids, The International School, not following the medium of instruction as specified by the state government has led to another controversy.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is under pressure to act against all officials who were involved in allowing the school, where a three-a-and-a-half-year-old girl was raped at its Jalahalli branch triggering an investigation by the department, to conduct K1 and K2 classes besides VI and VII standard classes without a valid recognition.
Activists, parents and academics have demanded a detailed investigation as to how the school was allowed to admit students even under the Right To Education without verifying its documents. The probe should also cover how the school continued the classes from June 1, 2014, even though the recognition expired on March 31, 2014.
Interestingly, the BEO who was working at North 2 Block when Orchids school in Jalalahalli got permission to function as a Kannada medium school, is now serving as Additional Personal Secretary to Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda.
The department, after finding out that the school was running without a valid recognition, suspended BEO (North 2) V.C. Basavarajegowda on Monday, under whose jurisdiction the school falls.
But sources said that Mr Basavarajegowda assumed office two months after the admission process was completed and classes were commenced.
Mr Basavarajegowda was transferred to North 2 Block as BEO only on August 2, 2014. “By the time he assumed office, two months of the new academic year were already over. He was not at the helm when the academic year 2014-15 started. He was in the office of the midday meal project till August.
Now, there is a need to hold an inquiry as to who filed the field report in the DPI, stating that the school was running classes as per the rule and no extra classes were being conducted,” a senior DPI officer said.
