July 1: After the Kamaladevi Gauridutt Mittal College, Malad, it's the turn of Canossa Convent High School, Mahim, to deal with the `justifiable interference' of local Sena Corporator Prakash Ayare.

From this academic session, the school has had to cut down one of its six divisions in the pre-primary section. Secretary of Archdiocesan Board of Education, Fr Denis Pereira told Express Newsline that compared to last year's 300 students, 250 students will be taken this year and 50 students in the junior KG section will have to find other schools.

Ayare wrote a letter on June 20 against this move, `requesting' the school authority to either maintain the six divisions or accommodate all students in five divisions by increasing the strength of each division from fifty to sixty. Ayare had given July 1 as the cut-off date to bring about the change, but the school authorties did not entertain his plea.

Fr Pereira asked, ``How can any Sena corporator demand anything from a private educational institution, that too one having a section that is not recognised?''

Ayare, who did not find it necessary to intimate senior party leaders about his action, said, ``When the city has inadequate number of schools for such a huge population, such arbitrary closure of divisions cannot just be observed silently. While the school authorities refused to take my candidates, they will entertain a Christian at any time. The school is violating government regulations by not practising the lottery system. There is a GR also empowering the schools to take more students.''

Father Pereira said though the court has empowered minority institutions to take 50% candidates from their own community, the school's KG section has only 28.4% Catholics. He added that rules regarding the lottery system are yet to be framed.

Nalini Chhugani, one of the members of the Ram Joshi Committee that drafted the report on pre-primary education which the state government has accepted in toto, was appalled at the government resolution advocating accommodation of an increased number of children in schools. The Yashpal Committee report, on which the Ram Joshi committee report was based, has laid down a limit of 25 students in each division of the pre-primary section and 30 students per division in the primary section.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.