Keshav Maharaj shatters records with career-best Test figures
Colombo, July 21 : South African spinner Keshav Maharaj on Saturday shattered a few records when he ripped through the Sri Lankan line-up in the first innings on Day 2 of the second and final Test at the SSC Stadium here.
Maharaj returned career-best figures of 9/129, to become the 19th overall and only the second South African after Hugh Tayfield to achieve the rare feat.
Tayfield achieved the feat in 1957, when he scalped 9/113 against England in Johannesburg.
Till date, only Englishman Jim Laker (10/53) and former India skipper Anil Kumble (10/74) have picked all 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match.
Maharaj, who ended the opening day with eight wickets, picked up his ninth when he packed veteran Rangana Herath's (35) to end the stiff 74-run last wicket stand with Akila Dananjaya (43 not out) as the hosts were bundled out for 338. His effort is also the best against the Islanders by any opposition bowler.
In reply, the South Africans were bundled out for a paltry 124 in their first essay, with Akila Dananjaya (5/52) and Dilruwan Perera (4/40) even as veteran Hashim Amla became the third Protea to notch 9,000 Test runs.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Over 760 private schools shut down in 5 years amid 'rigid norms', 'harassment' in Bengaluru: Report
Bengaluru: In a concerning trend for the city's education sector, at least 762 private schools in Bengaluru have closed down over the past five years, a staggering 26 percent of those granted permission to operate, according to government data.
Between 2019-20 and 2023-24 academic years, the Department of School Education and Literacy gave the green signal to start 2,905 private unaided schools, of which 762 closed down.
The data, as cited by Deccan Herald on Sunday, shows significant discrepancies across districts. While Vijayapura saw the highest number of new schools at 292, only five closed. In stark contrast, Bengaluru South saw 255 new schools, with 85 shutting down within five years. In Bengaluru North, the number of schools permitted were 75, and 56 of them shut down within five years of commencement.
School managements are attributing the closures to rigid norms imposed by the department after 2018, alongside what they describe as harassment by local officers. D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, told DH that one of the key obstacles has been the mandatory requirement of half-an-acre land for new schools, which many find financially unfeasible. Additionally, he noted that schools now must navigate multiple departments, including fire safety and building plan approvals, compared to the previous single-point contact with the education department. He further mentioned that they have submitted petitions to the government numerous times about harassment.
Private school representatives said a majority of the schools which closed down were budget schools affiliated to the state board, the report added. The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to these closures, disrupting the demand and supply chain, especially in cities like Bengaluru, which has a huge migrant population. The exit of migrant families led to a sharp drop in student enrolments, especially in budget private schools. The rising cost of establishing a new school—at least Rs 20 crore—and the challenge of maintaining a minimum student strength have further added to the burden on school managements.
Another factor cited by private school managements was the rise in the number of chain (franchisee) schools and the entry of corporates into the education sector. “Parents are attracted towards other board schools and so-called corporate and fancy chain schools,” management representative of a private school in the capital city was quoted as saying by the publication.
He added that the increase in the number of CBSE and ICSE schools has also contributed to the closure of state board schools, which, according to him, face discrimination at the local level compared to other boards.
