K'taka: Admission process in schools to be regulated

Mysore, Oct 17: The Karnataka Government proposes to regulate the admission process in private and aided schools from the next academic year, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj S Horatti announced today.

Speaking to newspersons here, he said the report, submitted by the Karnataka Vidhana Mandala Subject Committee in 2002-03 on the admission process, was yet to be implemented. The Government had asked the officials concerned to study the feasibility of its implementation. It would also discuss the pros and cons of regulating the admission process in schools, he added.

The Minister said the report had suggested that 35 to 50 per cent seats would be reserved for students securing up to 50 per cent marks, 25 per cent seats for those getting between 50 and 75 per cent marks and the rest should be left to the school management.

Most of the schools admitted only students with over 90 per cent marks to show 100 per cent results. Keeping in mind the fate of other children, the Government had to regulate the admission process, he explained.

Mr Horatti announced that aided schools with zero per cent results would lose their recognition and other schools showing poor results would be punished by the department.

Stating that the Governmnet had been spending Rs 150 crore to take up various basic facilities in schools and junior colleges this year, he said primary and high schools would get a major share of the amount of Rs 75 crore.

Earlier, Mr Horatti felicitated schools which secured cent per cent results in the SSLC and PUC examinations in Mysore division. Speaking on the occasion, he regretted that during the last ten years, Government schools in the State had not improved its pass percentage, despite the Government putting in all efforts to provide all necessary facilities.

Shortage of teachers in many schools, particularly in the rural areas, was noticed and the Government had taken up filling up of all vacant posts immediately. The appointment process, taken up on merit basis, was expected to be complete by the year-end.

Mr Horatti said the new transfer policy would be announced in a week and transfer of all teachers would be based on merit of the case and the process would be fully transparent. There was no question of influence from any one in the transfer of teachers. All transfers would be effected before April every year and the process would begin from December-end this year.

He had asked the officials in the Education department to prepare a list of those retiring till 2010 to facilitate immediate appointments. The delay in appointing teachers was due to the aided schools not providing the list on time, he alleged.

In Mysore division, out of 2,863 Government schools, only 26 had secured cent per cent result. Among the private institutions, it was 261 schools out of 1,256 and in Government aided schools, it was just 17 out of 687 schools. It was 106 schools in the case of 925 unaided schools in the division.

UNI