JOIN USDairy in government school rouses TP anger
The milk dairy functioning illegally on the premises of a government school in the taluk was the topic of debate at the general meeting of the Taluk Panchayat on Thursday.
Zilla Panchayat member S B Munivenkatappa asked why a dairy had set up office at the Government Lower Primary School of Doddahasala on the outskirts of Kolar City.
“No steps were taken to avoid it. The school was shifted to a new building. The village residents were accused of having encroached the old building to start the dairy,” Munivenkatappa said.
‘No permission asked’
In response, Block Education Officer K S Nagaraja Gowda denied having been asked permission to set up the dairy on the school premises.
When, in turn, Gowda was questioned why he did not take measures against the encroachment, he said the dairy farmers had sought permission of two months to clear the school premises. “I let them stay there for the time being,” he added.
Munivenkatappa said the panchayat members should analyse the matter and decide on the issue. “A school is for classes, not milk dairies,” he reminded.
School attire
The members had an equally heated discussion on the decision of the BEO to distribute shoes, belts and ties among students of government school in the taluk.
“Under the Sarva Shikshan Abhiyaan, an amount of Rs 80 lakh was reserved for paint and other work for the school buildings. The money, however, is being used to purchase shoes, belts and ties for students,” said Nagaraja Gowda and explained that this was only a measure to attract more students to government schools.
No decision taken
When asked if the matter had been discussed and approved by the general body, Gowda answered that the meeting was yet to be conducted. “I, in fact, wished to inform the general body during the current meeting about the decision,” he said.
It is interesting to note that the agenda of the meeting, however, had no such topic to be discussed.
Zilla Panchayat members Munivenkatappa and Chowdeshwari analysed the agenda and pointed out to Gowda that it had no such topic mentioned. They also told him that informing the body just before and bringing up the issue in-between the meeting was not decorum.
Rs 20 collected
Taluk Panchayat president Ramadevi furthered the discussion, by pointing out that Rs 20 had been collected from the parents of students of the government school in Vakkaleri for the attire.
Nagaraja Gowda answered dubitably, once affirming that no such collection was carried out, and then, when the matter was raised later, saying “The head teachers of the schools might have collected the money.”
Six months’ ago
Chowdeshwari insisted that she had found shoes, belts and ties in the godown of the school in Vakkaleri six months ago. “But you insist now that the students have not been given any such things,” she asked of Gowda.
“The attire could well have been donated by people,” the BEO countered. He, however, had no answer to the question on how much of donation had been collected during the last one year. He also could not reply when suggested that no such problem would have risen if the matter of distribution had been decided before schools began.
Information regarding the purchase of good quality furniture for schools was demanded of the officer at the last meeting. Gowda, however, had failed to provide the information during the current meeting too and said it was the responsibility of the district technical assistant of the Sarva Shikshana Abhiyaan.
The assistant had not attended the meeting. The Taluk Panchayat members said that the school children should be given the attire only after a decision was taken by the general body.
SDMC
There is a rule that only parents of students may be appointed as president of the SDMC. Yet, outsiders have been appointed for the SDMCs of schools in Narasapura and Khajikallahalli, complained TP member Manjunath.
The meeting decided to take action against such appointments.
APMC and TP building
The Taluk Panchayat had built a stall on the premises of the APMC 15 years ago. When a member asked who it had been rented out to, no member or officer concerned had an answer.
A contrary question of whether the Taluk Panchayat had actually constructed such a stall came up, but again, remained unanswered.
It was finally decided that information on the matter would be presented during the next meeting.