Several schools that allowed to start with Kannada as the medium of instruction had illegally switched over to English, putting over 100 aided-Kannada schools at a disadvantage in Dakshina Kannada.
Three aided schools were closed since last academic year unable to compete with the schools that had illegally adopted English as the medium of instruction, according to office-bearers of the Dakshina Kannada unit of Karnataka State Aided Primary School Teachers Association.
They told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Kakwa Higher primary School in Mulky, Kolambe Higher Primary School in Bajpe and another school in Mangalore were closed.
Vice-president of the Association Subraya Karanth said a new school which had illegally adopted English as medium of instruction in Polali had led to decline in the student strength of aided schools in Polali, Ammunje, Thenkabellur, Badagabellur, among others. The new school had been allowed within 150 metre from the premises of an aided school though relevant rules say that there has to be a minimum distance of 1 km between any two primary schools and 3 km between two higher primary schools. If this continued, the aided school will have no alternative but to close down.
This and several issues would be discussed at a forthcoming meeting “Ksha-kirana” on September 18 at Town Hall in Mangalore.