Kageri to Seek Lokayukta’s Help for Checking `Donation Menace’
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Apr 22: Even as academic year 2010-11 is yet to commence in Karnataka and annual summer holidays have just commenced, the State Government has come out with a concrete plan of action for checking the donation menace in private and aided schools and junior colleges in the state  and has decided to enlist the help of the Lokayukta.

Karnataka’s primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri told reporters in Bangalore on Thursday that the state education department would shortly write to Lokyukta Justice Santosh Hegde to help the government in its efforts to curb the collection of exhorbitant donations and other `unjustified’ fees in different names and put an end to the harassment of parents and children during the admission in the ensuing academic year.

"The Lokayukta can conduct raids on its own on even educational institutions of high repute and check their admission procedures, accounts and funds raised in the form of donations,” he said pointing out that the government has asked the education department to constitute a  state level squad comprising senior officials of the department would be formed to conduct surprise visits to schools and colleges and gather information on fees collected from students.

Admitting that some schools collected donations in the form of development fees,
education fees and under various other names, the minister said the education has become a sort of ``lucrative business’’ for many managements.

Kageri said at district and taluk levels, squads comprising officials of Primary and Secondary Education, Home and Cooperation departments would be formed to check donation menace.

He appealed to the public to inform the department officials about collection of exorbitant fees by some educational institutions in districts.

The minister said the teachers have been given time till the month-end to submit their applications for seeking transfers, which will be processed in a time-bound manner. ``We want to complete the entire transfer process by the end of May and no extension would be given  afterwards,” he said explaining that the extension was given in view of the involvement of teachers in grama panchayat elections and census enumeration work.

Arrangements for distribution of school text-books and uniforms have already been made, he said.

PUC Results by May 10; SSLC results by May 20

The minister said the education department was confident of announcing the PUC results by May 10 and SSLC results by May 20.

The valuation of PUC answerscripts was completed on Thursday while those of SSLC examination will be completed in the next three to four days, he said indicating the actual date for announcement of the results would be disclosed within a week.

In response to a question, Kageri said the government was seriously considering abolition of the semester scheme for standards 8 and 9 and introduction of examinations for 100 marks from next year. ``We will announce the government’s policy well before the commencement of the academic year,” he added.