Schools warned against misusing ‘minority’ tag

Bangalore, 20 Jan 2013 (DHNS): The Department of Public Instruction has warned of strict action against those schools refusing to admit children under the Right to Education Act quota falsely claming themselves as minority educational institutions.

 

According to a public notice issued by Umashankar, Commissioner, DPI, those schools claiming minority status need to possess a certificate issued by a competent authority.

 

Explaining the term ‘competent authority,’ an official from the Education department said: “Only the government, State or Central minority commissions are the authorities that have the power to declare an entity as minority institution.”

 

Self declaration

Nagasmiha Rao, RTE Task Force member, said the Primary and Secondary Education Minister has announced in the Assembly that only 18 schools in Mysore and Bangalore division have applied for grant of minority status.

 

“However, 30 to 50 schools in the City are making claims of being minority institutions. I am getting calls from parents in Yelahanka, Whitefield, Jayanagar, Rajajinagar, Malleswaram claiming that the schools in these are areas are denying admissions their children on the basis of their claimed minority status” he said.   

 

 Many of these schools, Rao said, were not furnishing documents to establish their claim of  minority status. “This, in spite of a clear directive that  mere self declaration of minority status by any school will not confer any right to claim exemption from the provisions of the Act,” he added.

 

He expained that several schools were reluctant to admit children under the RTE quota since the expenditures on such admissions have not been reimbursed.