Bengaluru, Mar 28: In a move to curb collection of high fees and donations by schools following the CBSE and ICSE syllabus, the Karnataka government has proposed amendments to the education Act under which erring institutions may be liable for a Rs 10 lakh fee.Also, parents can seek immediate refund of the excess fee.
If the bill is passed, schools will have to show greater accountability in fees accepted and money spent. But the government has chosen not to impose a clause to make erring schools liable for prosecution like it was done by the AAP government in Delhi. "We were hoping for the prosecution clause that could have attracted imprisonment for 3-5 years. But, the government has avoided it, may be under pressure from lawmakers, some of whom run educational instuitions," sources said.
The bill aims to ensure safety and security for students. It proposes imprisonment for a minimum term of six months and a fine which may extend to Rs 1 lakh for failing to provide safety and security of students, including protecting them from sexual offenders. Sait said the bill has been drafted in accordance with the Children's Safety Policy, 2016 and follows increasing cases of alleged sexual assault on children and the death of three school children in Tumakuru district allegedly because of food poisoning.
Section 5A proposes to impose a penalty which may extend to Rs 10 lakh after giving an opportunity of being heard by the district education regulatory authority.
Sait also tabled the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) Act, 2017, to fix maximum teacher transfers at 15% of the total number of teachers.
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