‘Violation of Right to Education’: Order to collect donations from parents of govt school students shocks Karnataka

News Network

October 22, 2022

The BJP government of Karnataka had to face backlash over a circular issued by the Department of School Education & Literacy to collect a donation from the parents of each student studying in government schools.

The order dated October 19 allows the school development and monitoring committee (SDMC) to collect a minimum donation of Rs 100 every month from parents to develop the infrastructure of schools and also to address the shortcomings of payments to guest teachers.

According to an education official, although government schools receive donations from donors, this initiative is in line with the ‘My School Our Contributions’ campaign wherein all kinds of people, including parents, should participate in developing the school.

“This is completely a voluntary service and parents who wish to donate can do so to the respective SDMCs. The money goes to the account of the school’s SDMCs which will then be used for development purposes,” said the official.

The order also states a list of primary purposes for which these donations would be used. Some of them include, drinking water facilities, toilet and sanitation, electricity bill, midday meals, honorarium to guest teachers, e-learning centres, libraries, school playgrounds and decorations among others.

“The BJP government has now targeted poor students of government schools. After looting 40% commission from government coffers, they now want to loot from the parents, too,” Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said, demanding withdrawal of the circular.

“Our government gave milk, cooked meals, uniforms, shoes, Vidyasiri & hostel facilities to the students. This BJP government took all these back one by one & now wants to take (parents’) money also,” he said.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party also slammed the BJP government. “Since the treasury has dried up because of the 40% commission racket, the education department has reached the stage of collecting Rs 100 per month from the parents of school children,” AAP Bengaluru president Mohan Dasari said. “The government had earlier issued a circular asking schools to collect donations from donors to buy shoes and socks. With the latest move, it is clear that the government has gone bankrupt due to rampant corruption,” he added.

Academician V P Niranjanaradhya said the circular violated fundamental rights. “The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child talks about the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, the states shall make primary education compulsory and available free to all,” he said.The Karnataka School Development and Monitoring Committees Coordination Committee meanwhile has written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai demanding withdrawal of the circular.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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