Date:20/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/20/stories/2006092003510300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government withdraws order on closure of schools

Staff Reporter

New notices will be sent to them for violation of language policy

BANGALORE: The State Government on Tuesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it had already withdrawn orders passed by it ordering 15 schools in Dharwad district to close down as their recognition had been withdrawn.

The Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Dharwad, had a few days ago passed orders withdrawing the recognition to 15 schools, including Chinmaya Seva Samithi Trust of Hubli and 14 others, and ordering them to close down saying that they had violated the language policy of the State.

In its petition, Chinmaya Seva Samithi said it was imparting education to 1,500 students and any closure of the school during the middle of the academic year would affect the students and lead to chaos. It had urged the court to quash the order of the DDPI.

When the matter came up on Wednesday, Government advocate Manohar submitted that the DDPI had passed the order under a wrong section of the Education Act.

He said notices were being issued to schools which had violated the language policy of the State. Some schools, he contended, had started English medium though they only had permission to start Kannada medium schools. Such schools were being asked to explain this violation and notices were being issued to them.

He said notices to these 15 schools would be issued under the appropriate section. Justice B.S. Patil allowed the Government the liberty to withdraw the earlier notices and send afresh notices on the violation of language policy.