K'taka to form panel to ease school recognition process, govt assures no school will be closed
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday announced that a House committee will be set up to simplify the procedures for granting and renewing recognition for private aided and unaided schools. The assurance follows concerns raised in the Legislative Council over the difficulties schools face in meeting various compliance requirements like building safety and land ownership certifications.
According to a Deccan Herald report the School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa told the Council that the panel would be constituted during the ongoing session. He also stated that no institution would encounter any trouble until its recommendations were finalised, and that the number of criteria required for recognition had already been lowered from 62 to 48, while stating that attempts were underway to move the entire process online. He stressed the importance of student safety and stated that the government will not allow corruption among officials involved in the system.
MLCs across party lines highlighted the hardships encountered by schools in complying with the 2018 recognition rules. Congress member Puttanna said students were being forced to appear as external candidates for examinations when their schools struggled to secure timely renewal, alleging that the system had become a breeding ground for corruption. BJP member Shashil Namoshi questioned why building safety norms were being retrospectively applied to private institutions while government schools remained exempt.
Several other members, including S V Sankanur, S L Bhojegowda, Ramoji Gowda, Ramesh Babu, D T Somashekhar and Hemalatha Naik, warned that the current system had pushed many schools to the brink of closure.
Responding to a separate query on reports of government school closures under the proposed Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) model, the minister categorically denied any such plan. He told the House that no government school, including Kannada-medium institutions, would be shut “under any circumstances,” adding that facilities such as mid-day meals would continue even if only one child were enrolled.
Bangarappa said the confusion had been fuelled by misleading posts on social media and reiterated that the government was committed to strengthening public education. He noted that, contrary to rumours, some MLAs from both the ruling and opposition benches had in fact sought mergers of schools with very low enrolment. The minister said the government was ready to keep schools open, and even to start new ones, if there was demand, and questioned objections to children studying on a single campus from LKG to PUC when transportation was already being provided.
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Young man from Bantwal dies in road accident in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: A 34-year-old man from Dakshina Kannada’s Bantwal taluk died in a road accident near Kudlu gate in the city on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Muhammad Haris (34), a resident of Allipade near Ajilamogaru in Bantwal taluk.
Harris worked as a mechanic at a private AC company in Bengaluru and got married six months ago.
The incident reportedly occurred when Haris was riding a bike to work along with a colleague, when a goods vehicle allegedly rammed the bike from behind.
Haris reportedly succumbed to his injuries at the stop. His colleague, an Odisha native who was riding pillion, sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to the hospital.
Haris’ body is at the mortuary of St. John’s Hospital, Koramangala, and will be sent to his hometown after the postmortem.
HSR layout traffic police have registered a case.
