Karnataka: Private school bodies write yet again to PM alleging ‘huge corruption’

“We have written two letters to the chief minister and prime minister but are yet to receive a response,” KAMS General Secretary Shashi Kumar D told South First.

The allegations

“They are charging hefty bribes of up to 5-10 percent of the RTE reimbursements for providing various approvals and framing rigid retrospective rules for private unaided-aided schools, especially budget schools, which provide quality education at a cost lower than the government schools,” Shashi Kumar alleged.

The KAMS letter to the prime minister also lists issues such as harsh rules and delays in Right to Education (RTE) reimbursements to the schools, impractical modification of private unaided school fees, and delays in providing government textbooks to the students, along with the inappropriate curriculum.

Section 12 (2) of the 2009 RTE Act states that the government is obliged to reimburse all private unaided schools for allocating 25 percent of their entry-level seats to students from economically disadvantaged groups.

It adds that the schools that provide free education to the students are eligible to be reimbursed the expenditure incurred per child, or the actual amount charged from the child, whichever is lesser.

‘Dens of corruption’

“The officials of the Block Education Office (BEO) and the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) take 20 percent of the RTE reimbursement fee,” Shashikumar alleged, adding that they are “dens of corruption”.

While calling the Education Department’s land conversion rule irrational, the letter also states the unrealistic rules while obtaining the Fire Department and Public Welfare Department (PWD) Stability Certificate with officials demanding a huge amount in form of bribes.

“At times the middlemen in this Education department demand as much as rupees one lakh to give clearance,” Shashikumar said.

The allegations by the school bodies come days after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Contractors Association (BBMPCA) accused BBMP officials of demanding a 50 percent commission to clear their pending bills.

Minister refutes allegations

Contacted for a response, State Education Minister BC Nagesh strongly refuted the allegations.

“Do these associations have any proof to back their allegations? Have they registered any official complaint with the police or Education Department? If they have they would have surely received the acknowledgement receipt. They are just trying to malign the reputation of some honourable people,” Nagesh told South First. 

Politics over education

While claiming that neither the National Education Policy (NEP) nor the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is being implemented properly in the schools, Shahshikumar asked, “Why are they asking for renewal every year when it is to be done over five years?”

He claimed that neither the education minister nor the government has heard the school associations’ grievances even once.

“The minister is ruling in an autocratic way and has no intention to bring quality education. He is only focusing on politicising the curriculum by bringing Hindutva into it.”

Reacting to Minister Nagesh’s claim that no complaint has been filed, Shashikumar said: “School managements fear to complain against the education system publicly, but the issues have been raised several times during our internal meetings.”