There is a huge demand for applications to start lower primary classes in English medium as the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), after several years, has agreed to consider them. There is, however, no clarity yet on whether or not the government will register these schools as English medium for the next academic year (2015–16) as a decision on the language policy is pending.
In Bengaluru Urban, 1,096 institutions have applied seeking permission to run lower primary classes in English medium, which is the highest number of applications received among all sections, including pre-primary, upper primary and high school.
Block education officers (BEOs) said that a majority of the applications were from the institutions that have recognition for Kannada medium, but were running classes in English medium.
The deadline for submitting applications ended on December 20.
There is little demand for starting Kannada medium classes in all sections, except pre-primary.
However, Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin said, “There is no medium of instruction for pre-primary classes as there is no fixed syllabus.”
Meanwhile, sources said that lack of clarity for granting permission persists, as most of the sections in the circular specifying new norms for starting new schools have been kept in abeyance by the High Court of Karnataka. Even as registration of schools is under Sakala, which mandates that such applications should be processed in 90 days, the DPI is likely to write to the government explaining that it would need more time.
The BEOs The Hindu spoke to said many of the 1,266 schools in Bengaluru South and Bengaluru North, which had been listed as illegal and unauthorised, had applied for permission to start classes for the next academic year. “We have received the applications but we have not got any instruction on processing them,” a BEO said.
