CARNIVALS FOR FUND RAISING CAMPAIGNS, NO RENT PAYMENT BUT THE SCHOOL IS NOT MAKING MUCH PROFIT
Indian School Board oppose Ambassador's Survey and school reform measures.
Indian School board invites parent applicants for school committees
Promises more parents meetings with MCs, School boards.
The Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman has started distributing a new circular among parents seeking what it calls 'self nomination of parents." to the school management committees. A circular issued by the Chairman of the Board of Directors yesterday to the parents of Indian Schools in Oman said: 'The parent is an important member of the school/child/parent community. Many parents can contribute and volunteer in the programmesof the schools in different ways. Most of the members serving on the management committee are also parents who work to make the school better and contribute on a regular basis. If you have ideas and more importantly have the time, we encourage you to apply.'
'This is being done again this year in order to broad base the selection of persons to represent the School Committee and give an opportunity for parents to make positive contribution,' the Chairman appeals. The circular also informs parents that the board has taken a decision to conduct more meetings with parents, school committee and board representatives during the year. 'The information of these meetings would be sent to all parents well in advance through the school.'
The proforma for parents who wish to be nominated to the school management committee asks them questions about the educational qualification, employment experience, total years of service in Oman and in the city where the child is studying. One particular question asks whether the applicant had been associated with any school (Oman or India) in an official capacity. There is also a question asking parents about their 'philosophy' and 'ideas' about the role of the Management Committee of a school!
Indian School Board oppose Ambassador's Survey and school reform measures.
The reform process in the 14 Indian schools in Oman has received a major set back because the Board of Directors, which initially supported the Indian Ambassador K.M. Meena's reform move, has sent a strong protest letter to the Indian Embassy, Muscat and the Foreign Affairs Department New Delhi.
The Times of Oman reported that the board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman have sent a strong letter protesting against the reform measures, especially the ambassador's direct survey among the parents of more than 20000 students of 14 Indian Schools. The board which is a nominated body by the Indian Ambassador --the Patron of Indian Schools-- convened an emergency meeting and decided to react strongly against the Ambassador's move, the Times report said. According to the School Constitutions, the Patron (Indian Ambassador) is the final authority on school matters. and he is able to change even the school constitution.
The board members, some of whom have exceeded their legal tenure in office in a non remunerative voluntary service, have informed the Ministry of External affairs, New Delhi that they are happy with the state of affairs in the Indian Schools and the ambassador's move to issue a circular directly to parents was bypassing the system. The Times report added quoting the board letter saying that the board would not be responsible for any action that would emanate from the current move of the ambassador.
Meanwhile parents of various Indian schools have started strong debate for and against the reform process. The whole controversy about the functioning of Indian schools started when the new ambassador found that several members of the school Management committees have completed their 6 year term and many of them are overstaying. He also found that several schools' accounts are not in order and that the school fees is very very high. Clearly the ambassador is under pressure from various corners to shelve the reform process, much against the interest of ordinary students and parents.
The Board of Directors and the School Committees have adopted a multipronged strategy to ensure that everything related to school management remain within safe hands. Campaigns are going on in the name of communal and other sectorian affiliations. A number of aspiring committee members are also in the fray making public statements in the media trying to appease the powers that be so that they can ensure a seat in one of the school committees. Some of the socio-cultural organisations are also working covertly so that when the Patron, the Indian Ambassador is able to bring some changes in the functioning of Indian schools, those who are currently at the helm of affairs retain their control. Another campaign is to show that private run schools are better and more efficient than community schoools and to transfer some of the community schools to the private promoters. Some leading business magnates are also playing their cards very cleverly to obtain license for new schools which will be run by psychopants and chronies of the powerful lobby.
Watch this space for more about the campaign… CARNIVALS FOR FUND RAISING CAMPAIGNS, NO RENT PAYMENT BUT THE SCHOOL IS NOT MAKING MUCH PROFIT
of school finance
Carnival - Every year one of the leading Indian Schools in Muscat conducts a fund raising programme called Carnival. According to informed sources about RO 50,000 is collected from euch programme, but the exact amount raised is said to be more than this. The school with 6,000 students is the largest Indian school in Oman with its own land and building donated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos due o philanthropic considerations. This is the flagship of all the Indian Schools in Oman which played an important role in nurturing other schools during their early stages of development. It continues to provide administrative and academic support for all Indian Schools in Oman.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos granted land in Darsait to establish the first Indian school. There must be a huge surplus fund deposited in the bank or invested properly yielding good returns. Despite these factors that make the said school financially at a better position than other schools, the school is said to be running on thin margins or even at a deficit! The monthly fee is RO 24 per month, which means huge cash flow every year. Is there any mechanism to monitor these fund flows and the manner in which budgets and finances are prepared. His Majesty's Government was generous enough to give a land donation to the school for making education accessible to ordinary Indian families -not to any businessman to make huge profit every month at the cost of ordinary parents.
Fund raising programmes is regular in all the Indian schools - One school has been regularly collecting RO 5 from the outgoing students to start a school alumni association. However, many of them say that there is nothing like a former students association or alumni association in the school. There are other gimmicks followed by school managements to squeeze parents.The Constitution says that schools should not be used as commercial ventures and that they must not be used to promote any commercial interest. This rule is often violated even by one of the former Indian Ambassadors - the Patron. One of the former Ambassadors who was fond of writing poems published a small booklet of poems and asked all school presidents to sell and collect money from students at a prize of RO 1 per copy. Selling fourteen thousand copies means that the ambassador made RO 14,000 from this killing. One school is sending students for learning swimming in two leading hotels in Muscat because a rival school is providing inhouse swimming facility.
Teachers salary is sited as the major expenditure by most of the schools, but facts tell a different story…watch this space for more news…