Unaided schools in Karnataka on another war with edu department

After the most controversial language policy created an unbridled conflict between the state education department and unaided private schools, here is another one where the state unaided private schools have declared a legal war against the education department.

The state department of public instructions (DPI) wanted the unaided private schools to pay their faculty on par with the state government teachers. The department had recently issued a circular to unaided schools regarding the same, which has also reached most of the other schools.

However, the recently affiliated unaided schools from the state government, are not ready to accept the new rule and insist that the department should refrain from imposing such things on them. Questioning this new rule of the department, the Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association (Kusma) has decided to move to court.

“This is not a simple issue. To avoid any problems in the future we have decided to move the court,” said GS Sharma president Kusma. Kusma will now file a petition before the Supreme Court on December 27, 2010 questioning the education department’s circular.

As per the circular sent to unaided schools, if the schools fail to implement it, the affiliation will be withdrawn. “That is what raised our temper. We have not violated any rules, but they are threatening to cancel affiliation,” Sharma said. The circular says, “All the unaided schools affiliated to state board need to pay the faculty on par with the state government school teachers. Even the salaries should not be provided in cash, schools need to open a bank account for the faculty and the salary should be credited to their accounts every month. If schools fail to implement it, then the affiliation will be withdrawn.”

The government is trying to impose this on private schools for years, but schools cannot accept it. Even if they accept it, it would be a burden on the parents,” said D Shashikumar, organising secretary Karnataka State Private Schools Management Federation. More than 2000 unaided private schools in the state have been affiliated to the state government. “If the government wants us to implement it, then let the grants go to all the unaided schools. We will accept it without any issues,” says Sharma.