BENGALURU: A day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Rajyotsava Day assurance that no Kannada school in the state will be shut, eight government-aided Kannada schools in Bengaluru South zone received closure order.
The state Department of Public Instruction issued the closure notice to eight Kannada medium aided schools in city. Department sources confirmed this and said that the schools were issued closure notice as they had less than 25 students per section.
“It is mandatory to have a minimum of 25 students in each section. But for the last three years these schools have not maintained the strength. Considering this lapse we have issued closure notice,” said an official source from the department.
On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah had said orders have been issued against closing Kannada schools on the pretext of low student strength. “Even if a Kannada school has a single student, it should run,” he had said.
According to Department officials, the notice was issued under the provisions of the Karnataka Education Act 1983. However, this process was going on for the past few months and the notices were issued to managements of the schools a month ago.
Condemning this act by the department, Dr VP Niranjanaradhya, educationist, said, “As the Chief Minister himself assured that he will protect Kannada schools, now he has to take action against the concerned department officials.”