The Education Department in Karnataka has issued a circular asking the School Development Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) to collect a voluntary donation of Rs 100 per month from parents for the development of a government school. Though the circular states that the parents should not be compelled to pay the donation, they should realize the requirements of the schools for the same. The decision has drawn strong criticism from parents and protests.
The education department said it plans to use the funds for minor renovations of schools and recruiting guest teachers, and to cover shortfalls in budgetary allocations from the government for these arrangements. The Karnataka government said the funds received through the ‘Nanna Shale, Nanna Koduge’ or ‘My School, My Contribution’ campaign will go towards minor repairs in the school, drinking water facilities, cleaning of toilets etc.
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Congress attacked the government saying that the BJP government has started looting the students and their parents, although the government has to ensure complete free education in government schools. “BJP Karnataka government has now targeted poor students of government schools. After looting 40 per cent commission from the exchequer, they now want to loot from parents also,” tweeted Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly.
Our government provided milk, cooked food, uniform-shoes, Vidyasiri and hostel facility to the students.
This @BJP4Karnataka The government took all these back one by one and now wants to take their money too.# save student
— siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) 21 October 2022
Criticizing the government, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar said, “Rs 100 per month from parents to cover the expenses of government school children and to give to school development-supervisory committees is the height of injustice continued by the state government. This decision confirmed that the state BJP is not fit to run a government school.
“In the post-Covid days, thousands of government schools in the state are in bad shape and what is the justice of collecting school expenses from parents when they are in financial crisis? It is wrong to issue such an unscientific decision in violation of Article 21A of the Constitution and Right to Education,” tweeted Shivakumar. (sic)
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