The government is planning to make suitable amendments to the Karnataka Education Act to check the exploitation of parents by private educational institutions in the name of inculcating discipline.
Replying to P.R. Ramesh of the Congress in the Legislative Council, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait said over 1.16 crore students were studying in over 76,000 private schools from class one to class 10. Under the present rules, the District Education Regulatory Authority, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, is addressing the problems being confronted by students and parents in all the districts. For any serious lapse, the erring educational institutions were being penalised to the extent of ₹10 lakh, he said.
Blaming parents for promoting private educational institutions and maintaining that a change of mindset among parents was the solution to the issue, Mr. Sait said despite the government imparting free education by providing books, shoes and uniforms, parents were keen to enrol their children in private institutions. “This mindset of parents has to change. Educational institutions are exploiting anti-government school sentiments of parents,” he said.
Citing an example of a school that imposes a fine for late arrival of children, Mr. Sait said the department was aware of the exploitation of parents by private schools.
