CBSE disaffiliates NPS, one of Bengaluru's most in-demand schools

Bengaluru, Sept 7: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has disaffiliated six branches of the hugely in-demand National Public School (NPS), after the Karnataka Department of Public Instruction in August wrote to the CBSE Board accusing the NPS management of forging and producing fake minority institution status certificates to escape the provisions of the Right to Education Act (RTE).

The CBSE, in a press release on Tuesday, said it had disaffiliated six schools of the group -- National Public School, Rajajinagar, Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout, and the National Academy of Learning in Basaveshwarnagar, Bengaluru, and National Public School, Mysuru.

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) had in August written to the CBSE urging it to withdraw the board affiliation for the NPS schools after it came to light that the school had sought to escape having to admit 25 percent students under the RTE quota by producing forged minority institution status certificates.

"The management of these schools have violated the RTE Act and are indulging in fraudulent means in order to circumvent the provisions of the RTE Act and are involved in criminal activities. Hence, this is a request to withdraw the CBSE affiliation of the schools and to take any further action as per extant rules," the DPI wrote to the CBSE board.

The DPI's letter itself was based on a communication in February this year from the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions that pointed out that NPS could not claim minority institution status and therefore the certificates produced by the school authorities are forged documents.

Curiously, while Mysuru police have filed an FIR against the school, Bengaluru police are yet to register one despite having received a complaint against the school management.

The NPS schools, founded by K.P. Gopalkrishna, are run by the National Education Trust and associated trusts in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chennai. The oldest of the schools, NPS Rajajinagar, was founded in 1959, and NPS Indiranagar in 1982.

The status of several other branches/franchises of NPS is not yet known, but some of them have started only recently and perhaps do not have CBSE affiliation at this stage.

NPS Group Schools

• National Public School, Rajajinagar

• National Public School, Koramangala

• National Public School, Indiranagar

• National Public School, HSR Layout Sector 4

• National Academy for Learning, Basaveshwarnagar

• National Public School, Mysuru

• National Public School, Banashankari, Bangalore

• National Public School, Chennai

• The International School Bangalore

• National Public School, Yeswantpur

• National Public School, Kengeri

• National Public School, Agara, Kanakapura Road off Nice Road

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