Bengaluru: It's been a long wait, but franchise-based nursery and pre-nursery schools are finally under the ambit of state law. On Wednesday, the state government issued a notification that brings these facilities under the education department.
According to officials, this is the result of the fallout at a nursery school in Marathahalli, in which eight toddlers were subject to sexual assault by supervisor Manjunath.
The incident revealed that franchise-based schools are not regulated by any government department. "Till 2006, they were regulated by the Department of Public Instructions, but were let off the hook following complaints of rampant corruption in issuing permissions," said a senior officer, on condition of anonymity.
At the time of the Marathahalli school investigation, he explained, it was found that even the Department of Women and Child Welfare has no control over these facilities. "To ensure that schools follow all rules and regulations and to ensure the safety of the kids, we have decided to bring them under the ambit of the DPI," he added.
DPI officials say their website will soon provide a separate link to admissions at these schools. "The procedures that apply to admission in regular schools will be followed here too. These franchises will be allowed to apply for permission online, which will be issued after site verification," he said.
Industry experts say the move will result in corruption. "Sexual assault was reported at one school because authorities there were negligent. Franchise schools function differently, with different syllabi, working hours etc. DPI has no expertise in this field. This will lead to corruption," said the head of a franchise school. 'We have no option but to register now," he concluded.
