Govt. mulling against giving permission to private schools for three years
Bengaluru, June 13: The state government has planned not to give permission to open any private schools for next three years in the state.
It is said that the government has taken this decision to check the mushrooming of private schools year after year as the number of students in government schools is reducing considerably. The Primary and Secondary Education department has received total 2429 proposals to open private schools in 2018-19 academic year. But according to a senior officer in the department, the government would not consider those proposals this year.
It is said that the number of children in government schools is also decreasing because of Right to Education Act (RTE). Under this Act, a private school has to give 25 per cent seats for the financially backward students. Apart from this, the mushrooming of private schools within the radius of 5 km of government schools is causing problem for the admission into government schools. Keeping this in mind, the department has decided not to give permission to open any new private schools in the state. But the final decision into this effect is yet to take, the officer said.
However, Primary and Secondary Education Minister N Mahesh said that the government has decided to conduct the census of the private schools. Before giving permission to private schools, the department has to think twice. The government has established 176 model government schools equal to private schools. In the same way, few more such model schools would be established. Instead of giving permission to private school, the government is mulling improving the quality of the government schools. Fee fixation norm should be strictly implemented for private schools and make sure that the private schools are following the norm, he said.
Previous education minister Tanveer Sait had said that permission would not be given for private schools for next five years. But because of the influence of the private schools managements, then minister had backtracked from his decision. Among total applications, more applications were submitted from Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru South has submitted 369 applications, while Bengaluru North has 216 applications, sources said.
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At least 200 dead in Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll
Goma (Congo) (AP): A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.
The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday.
Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed.
“I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn't what people are saying. It's simply about five people who died,” Kaj said.
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover over 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 per cent of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. Over 15 per cent of the world's supply of tantalum comes from Rubaya's mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines. According to a UN report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least USD 800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, including more than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal brokered by the US and negotiations continue between rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the US government and American companies.
A similar collapse last month killed over 200.
