BENGALURU: The Department of School Education and Literacy has decided to approach the court against the Revenue Department’s move to auction a 77-year-old government school in Bengaluru. Established in 1945, the Government High School, housed in Rajatha Complex in Chickpet, provides education to around 85 students and is likely to be sold to a private company.
In 1979, the building was given on lease to a private firm, Rajatha Enterprises. The company built a complex on the premises and gave the ground floor to commercial shops and the first floor to the school.
Following the expiry of the lease in June 2021, the company approached the Revenue Department offering to buy the building following which officials from the department appraised the value of the property.
The Education Department took note of the issue when the Revenue Department refused to register the property in the name of the school. The Education Department, which made several appeals, is now likely to move court.
According to a letter written by the Commissioner for Public Instruction, R Vishal, the land belongs to the Education Department as a government school is currently operating from the building, though the Revenue Department originally owned the land. “We are planning to approach the court and seek an interim order,” Vishal told TNIE.
‘Selling school to pvt party could hinder education’
In the letter, he said that the sale of the school to a private party could lead to disruption of education of the students currently studying there. Hence, it should not be leased to private parties and the property must be registered in the name of the school.
The issue has attracted criticism from various quarters, with citizens and organisations questioning why the school was leased to a private company in the first place. “This issue is a wake-up call to the Education Department. The laxity in maintaining records of schools is a major problem and cases like this show that any government school can be bought by a private entity,” said Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Karnataka Associated Management of Schools.