BENGALURU: Managements of private schools in the state have alleged that officials of the Department of Primary and Secondary Education at the block levels in the state have indulged in corruption.
The school managements said that though there is no order issued from the commissioner for public instructions to visit schools, several Block Education Officers (BEO) are constituting committees of head masters and teachers from government schools and asking them to go on surprise visits. They said that during these visits, the committee members demand bribes from schools to avoid negative report on the availability of infrastructure among other issues.
D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, “There is no order from the higher authorities of the department about such visits. However, some BEOs are forming three men committees and visiting schools. In case of lack of infrastructure, they blackmail managements and try to extort money from private schools.”
The school managements added that this act by the BEOs is affecting the academics at government schools. “The head masters of government schools are not doing their duty of taking classes. Instead they are busy visiting private schools in the name of inspection,” Kumar added.
Kumar said that several school managements will approach the association about these illegal checks. The school managements have already approached State Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait. In turn, the minister wrote to the commissioner for public instructions on October 13, asking him to issue a circular warning the BEOs not to indulge in such activities. However, so far no action has been taken by the department.Considering this, the minister issued a reminder to the commissioner on November 7, asking him to initiate disciplinary action against such officials.