Bengaluru: The timing couldn’t have been more ironical. Even as the state celebrated its 62nd Rajyotsava Day with CM Siddaramaiah promising that Kannada schools with even one student would not be closed, a Kannada medium school in the city received a closure notice from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Thursday.
The move has left the 30 students of the Binny School in Binnypete and their parents worried about their future.
“We are shocked that the education department has issued such a notice in the middle of the academic year. We have approached the court to stop the school’s closure as the future of our children, who have been studying here for many years, is at stake,” said a parent, revealing that the parents’ association had decided not to accept the transfer certificates of the children issued by the government for now.
The acting principal of the school, B.G. Awati, says he has written to the education department asking the officials to reconsider the move.
“At present, we have 17 students in high school. We have repeatedly requested the department to allow us to complete the academic year for the sake of the children. Also, the joint committee of the school is trying to make sure that our enrolments increase to at least 75 next year and we are working on developing our facilities to attract more admissions,” he said.
When contacted, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (Bengaluru South), Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, explained it was decided to shut down the school as it did not have a minimum of 25 students per section as required for the past three academic years. “Binny School is a private, aided institution and has not met the minimum enrolment requirement for all three classes of its high school,” he said, adding that the department would make arrangements to relocate the students to the nearest school. “We have issued similar notices to as many as eight of the 160 high schools in our jurisdiction this academic year. Both students and teachers were transferred and relocated to other schools according to their preference without much fuss,” the officer maintained.
But not convinced by his claims, Dr Niranjan Aradhya V.P of the Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) says the move reflects the “insensitivity and ignorance” of the bureaucracy and is a clear violation of the oral orders issued by the Chief Minister.
“Mr Siddaramaiah should seek an explanation from the DPI on the issue,” he insisted.
Fact-file
Number of students: 30
Students enrolled in high school : 17
Number of staff members: 6
