You Too Ajith Kumar!!
     
    Total Volta face by the new ISM President
     
    MUSCAT - The sudden and unexpected change in the attitude of new Indian school Muscat president A.N. Ajith Kumar is baffling members of the Indian community who have placed high hopes on the new president who was assigned the task of protecting the community interest and liberating the community schools from the clutches of vested interests. With all due respect to the positive things that Mr.Kumar did for the cause of Indian community, some of the recent actions of by Mr.Ajith Kumar A.N., especially his decision to issue a "termination" letter to M.M.Joshi, the principal of ISM and his stubborn position against using the ISM fund to support the building of a community school in Seeb, are apparently against the community interest. These actions of the new ISM President are supporting the business lobby that is not keen to see the smooth functioning of community schools.
     
    Terminating ISM Principal Joshi
     
     

     The Indian Ambassador K.M.Meena's two-year-old campaign to help ordinary parents and reduce the influence of businessman in school management has been totally nullified by a set of people whose sole purpose was to get into power and prominence.

    In their bid to reach prominent positions as board members and school presidents, they played different cards very well and at the last phase of his stay in Muscat, the patron has been seriously stabbed from behind! Some crooks pretended as protectors of community interests have been covertly supporting the Indian sheikhs. Now they are showing their real colour.
     
    Ajith was appointed as the president of Indian School Muscat on the assumption that he would support the community interest. Due to time constraints and other road blocs created by the Indian sheikhs, the patron chose Kumar, who has completed one year as the board member. However, immediately after assuming power, he took some drastic decisions like the appointment of Deepak Brado, the SMC member who was accused of harassing the principal and other teachers.
     
    When the SMC tried to sack the ISM principal overnight, Kumar was very vocal about protecting the teachers and principals. Within two weeks of assuming charge, he changed his approach and issued a nasty termination letter to the principal, which he was forced to withdraw due to timely intervention of the patron and other members of the board. While people may term it as infighting within the board, what has happened is nothing new. A trusted community member has changed his affiliation in favour of the business lobby for unknown reasons. The principal might not deserve a royal retirement. Being a good academician with a brilliant career background and a glittering award from the Indian president, Josh needs to be given a decent exit.
     
    "I wish to intimate you that your service contract expired on 31 July 2003 and you have been serving on an ad-hoc basis as the head of the institution. The Management Committee has decided to terminate your services from 31 May 2003 and you are advised to hand over charges to T.R.Mohana the senior vice principal with immediate effect," wrote Ajith Kumar a few days after he was appointed as the ISM President. "The committee has authorized the accounts department to settle your account including the leave period you are entitled for as per the rules of the Government of Oman," he said in his letter, which was send to the board and embassy. "The committee appreciate your contribution to the school during your tenure as principal," he wrote in a gentle tone.

    "Thanking you and wishing you a very happy and prosperous future in whatever vocation you may take up in the future," he said. Does it appear as a gentlemanly act on the part of the new ISM president, usomg his newly assumed power and position as the president of one of the largest community schools in the Gulf?
     
     
    "You should expose this sudden change in the attitude of the new ISM president, because we are surprised to see this sudden change . He was appointed by the patron and even before the ambassador left the country, the ISM president has apparently changed sides and started acting against the community interest," said a newly appointed male member of the school board. "The manner in which went about questioning the principal is highly unwarranted," he added. Well, the nasty termination letter was withdrawn and now the principal will retire peacefully. " we have met all his demands and he will be leaving as per his terms and conditions," conceded the ISM President. According to him, as the new ISM President he needed the support of "all sections of the community".
     
    Stumbling Block for Seeb School Project
     
    The second action (or inaction) of the new ISM president is the most unexpected one from him. It is well known fact that the construction of a new community school building in Seeb has been a prestige issue for the patron and the community. The former ISM President was adamant that he should be given control of Indian school Seeb and the ISM fund worth RO 3 million will not be utilized for the Seeb school project. The new ISM president also took a 180 degree tunr in his approach by creating an impression before the local ministries that there is an infighting within the board and that the community schools have no money to run their schools efficiently.
     
    "This money has been accumulated over the last several years and it belongs to the community. Being the largest Indian community school, the ISM should support the new Seeb School, which is in fact a branch of the ISM," said another board member. "It has been a prestige issue for the patron in his campaign and now the newly appointed ISM President has created new hurdles in the Seeb School construction," said the board member. While the vested interests have spread all sorts of misinformation about the school project (short of accusing the ambassador of receiving kickbacks!), the stumbling bloc created by the new ISM President has really puzzled many. It may be recalled that the former School board chairman was removed because he wanted the Seeb school to be developed as a private business. Now the new ISM President too is acting in a similar manner. "Only a part of the ISM fund will be used to construct the Seeb School building and it will earn the same service charge. The money deposited in banks is yielding the same interest rate as the service charge offered by the Seeb School," said sources. "The only difference is that instead of putting the school fund in banks, the board will use it to finance Seeb Community school, which will benefit many ordinary parents," added sources.
     
    Stabbing the patron from behind
     
    This stumbling bloc is yet another backstabing received by the patron who has been mislead by many people. While Meena has been a sincere man trying to do something for the Indian community, it is some people with contradicting faces, who have hijacked the schools management. After the patron's transfer was announced, those sitting on the fence changed their affiliation. One of the former board chairmen used to say many things in front of the patron and acted just opposite. Similarly, Sandeep Arora repeated the same drama and finally resigned his post because he could not stand up to the business lobby. What makes people change their attitude so suddenly? Is it survival instinct to support the powerful and winning party?
     
    Anyway the patron will leave within a few months and things will be back to square one. Already the proposed diplomat is being brainwashed about the school issue. Our humble request to both the incoming and outgoing ambassadors is - beware of people who will stab you from behind!
     
    Former Board members Propaganda against Kerala Monitor, covert support for businessman's mouthpiece.
     
     
    Ambassador not leaving as per the doomsday predictions
    Meeana, fighting the mighty till the last drop of blood
     
    June 20, 2003 Many doomsday predictors who are eagerly waiting for the early exit of the Indian Ambassador, K.M.Meena, the patron of Indian Schools from Muscat will have a heart break to know that he is not leaving as per their predicted schedule. Some journalists who are covertly working for the private businessman-school lobby has been taking all pain to fix the date for the ambassadors exit from Muscat so that the private business lobby can continue to loot the Indian community, especially ordinary parents. keralamonitor.com

Patron, Board members oppose new ISM President's Moves to Appoint Vice president

 MUSCAT - Hardly one week after the patron appointed a new president and members to the Indian School Muscat (ISM), the new team has started moves to appoint one of the old guards in the school management committee as vice president, without the consent of the patron and opposition from other board members. K.N.Ajith Kumar, who was nurtured as the board member and now the new president of ISM by the patron, has proposed to appoint Brado, who was occupying a prominent position in the former management committee as one of the new vice presidents. The patron and the board members had asked him to revoke the decision.

Mr. Brado who was accused of taking over the entire school functioning, sacking and ill treating teachers including principal, is removed from the convener post and was proposed to be posted as one of the new vice presidents. Even though the new president is supposed to clean up the mess created by the former MC, the move to appoint Brado as one of the vice presidents would put everything back to square one, alleged a section of the board. According to Ajith Kumar, there was no such move and that he needed the support of experienced school administrators to efficiently run the school, which has got 6000 students and 350 students.

Harshendhu Shah was removed from the school committee and Brado has been removed from the convener post, which are more influential posts. There has been a concerted campaign to undermine the largest community school, it is alleged, so that private schools become the only option available to Indian community students. -May 24 report by KM.