Bengaluru’s private schools defy government holiday order, parents upset
Bengaluru: Several private schools, mainly those affiliated with CBSE and ICSE, conducted classes on Monday, despite the government declaring a holiday in the early hours due to heavy rains.
Among these schools is one managed by a trust run by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Parents who adhered to the government’s announcement and kept their children at home were surprised to find their children marked absent.
“I was shocked to receive a message from the school at 11.40 am, saying my son was absent. I had kept him home following the government's holiday announcement, but the message indicated regular classes were being held,” said a parent whose child attends Little Flower Public School in Banashankari 2nd Stage.
Another parent, whose children study at National Hill View Public School in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, managed by DK Shivakumar’s trust, said they went to the school for clarification after receiving no communication. School authorities informed them that there was no holiday. “For those living nearby, it might not be an issue, but what about parents who live far and depend on private transport? Who will be responsible if the vehicle gets stranded?” the parent asked.
In response, Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G instructed the Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPI) of Bengaluru South and North to issue notices to schools that did not comply with the holiday order. “Though the announcement was late due to the delayed alert, it was the responsibility of all schools to prioritise student safety. Based on complaints, we’ve issued notices to non-compliant schools,” he said.
According to Ningarajappa KB, DDPI of Bengaluru South, 15 schools have already been issued notices, and more may follow as complaints continue to arrive. In North Bengaluru, the Education Department is compiling a list of schools based on parent reports.
However, the late announcement caused significant inconvenience for many parents. Children who had already left for school by 7 am had to be picked up after parents were informed of the holiday. Some schools have now advised parents to monitor news for rain alerts and holiday notifications in the coming days.
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Maharashtra Congress chief Patole meets Kharge, dismisses resignation talk as 'rumours'
New Delhi, Nov 25: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday dismissed as "rumours" talk of his resignation following the assembly polls debacle and stressed on "collective accountability" for the defeat.
Patole made the remarks after meeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge during which he conveyed that the result had not reflected the sentiments of the people of Maharashtra.
"Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other national and state leaders were leading Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) from the forefront during the assembly polls. So, we were sure that the trends were in favour of Maha Vikas Aghadi, even the citizens believed that," the Maharashtra Congress chief said.
"If I talk about Nanded, the Lok Sabha bypolls and assembly elections were held on the same day. In Lok Sabha bypolls, our candidate was winning in six assembly seats, whereas, in the assembly elections, we are not winning even a single seat," he said, adding that there cannot be such a "huge difference".
This is the sentiment among the people also and they have stated that this government in Maharashtra was not being formed on their votes, he claimed.
"So, I spoke to Mallikarjun Kharge on this," he added.
Asked whether he had offered to resign or the party had asked for his resignation after the Maharashtra assembly polls defeat, Patole said, "These are all rumours and there is no truth in them. There is collective accountability."
Patole also said he will meet Rahul Gandhi in a day or two and discuss all issues.
"Democracy is being finished. We have discussed that... there was no talk of resignation," he said.
The MVA alliance, comprising the Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT), was restrained to 46 seats by the Mahayuti that reaped a rich harvest of 230 seats in the 288-member House.
