Over 700 Karnataka schools receive govt notice over false CBSE affiliation

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

Bengaluru, Feb 06, 2023: The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Karnataka, has issued notice to at least 700 schools that have illegally claimed affiliation with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Over 600 of these private schools are located in the state capital, Bengaluru. Parents of children studying in a few branches of Orchids The International Schools, which also has been issued notice by DSEL, protested raising concern over their ward’s future, reported The Hindu. They alleged that the management claimed to have a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliation, while they were affiliated with the State Board.

 

The DSEL has currently formed a three-member committee to check the schools’ affiliation status and any other related issues in their jurisdiction. This three-member committee is headed by Block Education Officers in each taluk.

“If there are any unregistered private schools running, we need to close them. But if the schools have been registered, but are affiliated to one board and are claiming that they are affiliated to another, and are teaching that syllabus, we will have to take action according to the Karnataka Education Act,” said Vishal R., Commissioner for the Department of Public Instruction.

There are also numerous cases where schools are being run illegally without affiliation to any of the boards, the report added.

Meanwhile, P Bylanjanappa, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Bengaluru South, asserted that the three-member committee has recently issued schools a questionnaire with 50 questions. The private schools are asked about their affiliation, children’s safety measures, and other issues in the questionnaire, the report adds. Only based on the school’s reply, any further action will be taken by the DSEL.

The issue of false CBSE affiliation first came to light after the Karnataka government’s decision to hold public exams for Classes 5 and 8. This sudden decision forced many schools across the state (that had previously claimed CBSE affiliation) to start using State Board textbooks. They even changed their teaching methods in preparation for the upcoming exams.