Despite a directive from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to all schools not to start the admission process for pre-primary to class 8 before January, the schools are determined to go ahead with admissions.
The Karnataka Federation of Independent Schools Managements, which represents nearly 300 ICSE/CBSE schools in the state, on Wednesday said that it has decided to go ahead with admission process.
“We have welcomed the RTE and it has been informed to the officials. They have to acknowledge our support. We reject this notice and will go ahead with admissions, keeping 25 per cent of seats under the RTE quota,” president of the Federation L R Shivarame Gowda said.
He added that admission process would be started soon.Sudi Suresh, secretary, Karnataka State Private School Managements Federation, which represents 850 State Board Schools, said, “It is okay for state board schools. But schools following other boards syllabi follow separate calendar of events. We have experienced trouble last year because the department issued the calendar very late. They have to tell us when we can start admissions.”
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Unaided Schools’ Managements Association (KUSMA) has rejected the notice as well. “Their (Government) laws are so confusing. The BEOs say one thing, while the DDPIs say another thing. Now, the Commissioner is saying we cannot start admissions. We will go ahead with admissions and will not budge to such notices. We believe we are not doing anything wrong,” said KUSMA secretary A Mariyappa. KUSMA represents nearly 1,800 schools in the state.
Last year, several schools opposed implementation of RTE as they claimed to have compleged the admission process as early as October.