If you plan to send your children to a CBSE or CISCE school, be prepared to make sure they can read and write Kannada.
Bombarded by applications from schools seeking affiliation to the Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Karnataka government is putting in place stringent rules to control the language policy, admission process and fee structure while granting no-objection certificates (NOC).
Despite a visible increase in demand for English-medium education, the government has drafted rules which make it mandatory for schools to implement the state language policy. In schools wanting affiliation to CBSE/CISCE, the medium of instruction should be Kannada or mother tongue of the child between Classes 1 to 5. Even after getting affiliation to central boards, the school should compulsorily teach Kannada as a subject.
While seeking NOC from the primary and secondary education department, schools must give an undertaking that the admission to pre-primary classes will be done only in April. During fee revision, they must consult parents, and there's no room for mid-session hikes. The draft rules are in the public domain and schools and parents can air their views. It's the first time the government has framed rules for granting NOCs to schools seeking affiliation to other boards.
While starting pre-primary schools, the management has to obtain prior permission according to the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Classification and Registration) Rules, 1997. To ensure ample play space for kids, schools should have at least 1 acre of land in metropolitan areas and 2 acres elsewhere. A certificate from fire authorities and audit reports for three years are also a must. The NOC will cost schools Rs 1 lakh and will be valid for two years.
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