Unauthorised schools thrive in Karnataka as dept fails to be the ideal class monitor

Violation of board, medium, approval rules has become the norm.

Successive governments have struggled to contain or regulate unauthorised schools in the state.

In the 2023-24 academic year itself, the department of school education and literacy has issued at least three circulars asking officials at the local level to identify such schools and submit reports.

In the latest circular, the department has directed officials at the block and taluk levels to ensure that no unauthorised school shuts academic operations abruptly as that would leave students in the lurch.

Onus on officers

The circular, issued this month, reiterates the responsibility of local officers to make sure there are no unauthorised schools. 

As per the latest data with the department, it has listed 1,695 schools as unauthorised.

As per the reply given by Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa in the legislature session held in Belagavi, of the 1,695 unauthorised schools identified by the department, 143 were marked as unauthorised for violating curriculum norms. Of these, 129 have made necessary changes to legalise themselves.

Other syllabus

A school is deemed unauthorised if it has permission for state syllabus, but is offering CBSE or ICSE syllabus. 

It becomes unauthorised if it is permitted to offer classes 1-5, but runs higher grades too. As per the list, the highest number of unauthorised schools was listed for commencing additional sections without getting approval from the department.

Efforts were made by the previous BJP government for the closure of unauthorised schools and the then minister directed to file criminal case against such schools. 

Kids’ future

But soon after taking charge, Minister Madhu Bangarappa, in August 2023, announced  that in the interest of the students, the department will defer the previous order mandating action against such schools and said action will be initiated in a phased manner. The minister pointed to the future of children who were already enrolled in such schools.

The circular issued now comes exactly six months after the announcement made by the minister.

The issue of unauthorised schools has been haunting the department for the past several years. 

Registration for exams

There have been instances of SSLC students being barred from writing examinations as they were enrolled in unauthorised schools and the schools failed to register them for the board exams.

“Yes, this is the reason why we have given clear instructions to the officers to identify such schools and take measures to shut them before the commencement of the academic year,” said a senior official of the department.

Experts call this a failure of administration. V P Niranjanaradhya, development educationist, said, “This is nothing but administrative failure. There will be around 25 officials at every cluster with around 50 schools. But the question is why are they not keeping vigil on unauthorised schools. Why is there no stringent action against such schools, though they are cheating parents and students?”

He said despite knowing all about unauthorised schools, officials allow them to run.

Collusion of officials 

“The government must initiate action against officials who have been blind to unauthorised schools. The officers are well aware of and are hand in glove with such school managements. The government must send a message by initiating action against some of its officials who are encouraging such schools to function. It must ensure such schools are closed before the commencement of the academic year,” Niranjanaradhya said.

The private school managements have raised objections to some of the categories under which the department was notified to identify unauthorised schools. 

‘Confusing circulars’

D Shashikumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), said, “The circulars issued by the department are creating confusion. The department is encouraging corruption through such circulars. When a school has an affiliation and opens an additional section to cater to higher demand for admissions, why should it take permission again?”

In 2022-23, the department had identified 1,316 schools as unauthorised. Of these, 63 were functioning without the affiliation of either the state or central board. 

As many as 620 schools had started additional sections without permission. As many as 74 schools had started higher grades without approval. 

A total of 95 schools were found cheating parents and children by offering syllabus of another board though they had permission to offer syllabus of the state board. 

As many as 294 schools illegally offered English medium despite permission to teach in Kannada medium and 141 schools were identified for shifting schools to other buildings without permission. But no action was initiated against any of the schools.