Bengaluru, Oct 5 (IANS): Hindu outfits on Monday urged the School Education Department to take strict action against private schools that are allegedly conducting classes and examinations during the Dasara holidays announced by the state government and instead giving them in December during Christmas.
SriRama Sena-Karnataka and Hindu Jana Jagruti Vedike, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Director of School Education, Ramanagara and Bengaluru South district, seeking enforcement of the government’s holiday order.
According to the organisation, the government has declared a 19-day holiday for schools and colleges from October 3 to October 21 on the occasion of Dasara. However, some private schools were allegedly going ahead with regular classes and examinations in violation of the government order, despite objections and complaints from parents and the public.
The organisation said, Dasara was a historic and culturally significant festival of Karnataka and that the government declared holidays during the festival to enable students to spend time with their families and understand the state’s cultural heritage.
Conducting classes and examinations during the holiday period would create unnecessary pressure and tension among students and defeat the purpose of declaring the holidays, the organisation said.
The organisation strongly condemned the alleged violation of the government’s holiday order and urged the Education Department to initiate strict action against educational institutions that conduct classes and examinations during the Dasara holidays.
SriRama Sena-Karnataka district president Paramesh Gowda K. also alleged that the issue had been affecting Hindu religious sentiments. It claimed that some private educational institutions do not provide holidays during Dasara and instead provide a longer break during Christmas.
The organisation said it had been protesting against the practice for the past three years and urged the Education Department to ensure that private schools comply with the government’s holiday notification.
However, D. Shashikumar of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) opposed the demand, terming it “totally wrong.”
He said private and unaided schools had to follow the prescribed syllabus and teaching duration and were required to operate schools for the stipulated number of working days.
“Private schools will declare holidays according to their syllabus and teaching requirements. Some institutions may reduce the holidays by a week and provide them during December,” he said.
Shashikumar added that schools had some discretion in providing holidays for local festivals and that three to four days could be given for native festivals depending on the circumstances.
He also pointed out that CBSE and ICSE schools followed their own academic structures and timetables.
“The Education Department is not a dictator. Schools are required to function for 245 days as per the rules,” he said.
