Karnataka education department has declarer 17,000 authorized schools.
When contacted by TNIE for an exact count of rejected schools, department officials indicated that a consolidated number was not available at that time.
In Bengaluru, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has recently disclosed a roster of over 17,000 private schools in Karnataka that have obtained official authorization. However, this announcement has left parents feeling unsettled, as there has been no clarification regarding the number of schools that failed to secure approval from the department, and the fate of students already enrolled in these institutions remains uncertain.
The list, accessible on the DSEL’s website, categorizes schools district-wise. Parents need to navigate through the listed blocks to ascertain whether their child’s school is among the authorized ones and to verify the duration for which permission has been granted. Additionally, the list outlines the boards and classes that each school is permitted to offer.
In Bengaluru alone, a staggering 3,064 schools have been granted the seal of approval, with the highest number located in Bengaluru South (1,312), followed by North (1,302), and Rural (449). Despite attempts by TNIE to obtain precise figures on the number of rejected schools, department officials were unable to provide a consolidated count.
Rakesh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of DSEL, emphasized a shift towards a positive approach by not publishing the list of unauthorized schools. Instead, the focus is on informing parents about which schools are authorized, effective from the upcoming academic year. Singh stressed the possibility of diminishing admissions in unapproved schools and assured that decisions regarding enrolled students in unauthorized schools would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Regarding this development, Shashi Kumar D, General Secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), raised concerns about the department’s decision to release only the list of authorized schools, implying a bias towards protecting certain school owners’ interests and highlighting administrative shortcomings.
In response to the uncertainties faced by parents, NGO Child Rights Trust (CRT) proposed the establishment of a helpline by the government to assist parents in verifying a school’s authorization status. Nagasimha Rao, Director of CRT, emphasized the necessity of such a helpline, particularly for parents in rural areas who may face challenges accessing the online data. Rao highlighted instances where despite the published list, some schools are assuring parents of forthcoming authorization, urging caution among parents regarding such claims.