Only a minuscule number of schools derecognised for violating the medium of instruction norms have applied for the “voluntary scheme” in Bangalore North and South as the deadline set by the government for the scheme ends on Friday.
Giving one last chance for the derecognised primary schools to apply afresh for recognition, the state government had extended the deadline to opt for the voluntary scheme to June 15.
Of the 2,951 derecognised schools as many as 1,440 are in Bangalore alone (912 in Bangalore South and 338 in Bangalore North). These schools established after 1994 had given an undertaking to the government that they would conduct classes in Kannada medium but were found to be imparting classes in English medium, by the education department officials .
However, sources in the offices of the deputy directors of public instruction of Bangalore (North) and Bangalore (South) point out that the response from the schools for the scheme has been very poor. In fact, the DDPI Bangalore (South) has received only 10 applications and DDPI (North) 22, so far. That is only 2.28 per cent of the derecognised schools who have applied for the scheme.
Despite the stay on the voluntary scheme, the High Court had made it clear that stay order would not come in the way of school who wish to opt for the scheme.
Under the voluntary scheme, schools will have to apply afresh for recognition with the education department by paying a penal fine ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 25,000. (depending on the location of the school).
  The government has already extended the voluntary scheme twice.  It had first announced May 15 as the deadline for the scheme which provides the derecognised schools four years’ grace time to phase out English-medium classes.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj Horatti has made it clear that schools which do not apply under the scheme by June 15 will be considered derecognised and students of these schools will have to be relocated.