The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has released a list of over 17,000 private schools across Karnataka that have received official authorisation. However, the absence of information on the number of schools that failed to get approval has left parents anxious about the future of their children already enrolled in these institutions.
The detailed list, available on the DSEL’s website, is organized district-wise. Parents can search by selecting their respective blocks to verify if their child’s school is authorised and check the duration of the granted permission. The list also specifies the boards and classes each school is permitted to offer.
In Bengaluru alone, 3,064 schools have been approved, with Bengaluru South leading with 1,312 authorised schools, followed by Bengaluru North with 1,302, and Bengaluru Rural with 449. When contacted, DSEL officials did not provide an exact number of schools that were rejected.
Rakesh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of DSEL, stated, ‘We are not releasing the list of unauthorised schools. Our goal is to highlight the positive by showing which schools are authorised, alerting parents that actions may be taken soon against unauthorised institutions. The expectation is that admissions will decrease in these unauthorised schools.’
He assured that the department would prioritize the interests of children and handle cases individually for students already enrolled in schools not on the list. The new academic year is set to begin on May 28.
Shashi Kumar D, General Secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), criticized the department’s decision to only release the list of authorised schools. ‘This move appears to protect certain school owners and reflects administrative failure,’ he remarked.
In response to the confusion, the NGO Child Rights Trust (CRT) has suggested that the government launch a helpline for parents. Nagasimha Rao, Director of CRT, emphasized the difficulties parents, especially in rural areas, face in accessing the website and navigating the taluk-wise data. ‘A helpline for the month of June would be immensely helpful,’ Rao said. He added that numerous parents have contacted him, as some schools continue to assure parents of pending authorisation.
Despite the list, several schools are reportedly reassuring parents that they will soon receive the necessary authorisation, advising them against transferring their children to different schools. The situation has created a sense of uncertainty among parents as the new academic year approaches.
