Board of Directors suspends seven member Management committee of Indian School Molada

Suspended animation till April 2002

Molada; The fight for controlling the Indian community schools in Oman has reached a new stage as the Board of Directors summarily suspended the existing Management Committee of Indian School Molada, which has been in the ire of controversy for several months. Following a meeting between the seven members Management Committee with the representatives of the board of directors, the latter decided to suspend the MC till April 2001. Ameer Ahmed, who is given the special charge of the Indian School Molada, R.N.Parikh, the Chairman of the board of Directors and other senior members of the board were present in the meeting.

With the intervention of the board in the functioning of Indian community school, all the existing members of the MC will be jobless. They include Dr.Bhandari, School president, Dr. Raju Varghese, Shashikant K.Ved, Sayed Hinayathulla, Dr. Mercy, Dr.Mathew and Dr.Abraham. Yeshpal Metha, Deputy Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors who was sacked by the Patron was in charge of the school activities. Now Ameer Ahmed, a known favourite of private school lobby, has initiated this move as part of a larger campaign to control and if possible convert community schools into private schools.

According to the constitution of Indian schools, the Indian schools is managed by a three level organization comprising of a Board of Directors of Indian Schools in the Sultanate, Management Committees for Individual schools and the School Administration headed by the Principals of various schools. The Board of Directors, as the apex body, is responsible for monitoring the overall management of the schools. The Board is assisted in the management of the schools by separate Managing Committees for each School. These MCs function independently and are centrally coordinated by the Board.

The board monitors the overall functioning of the schools to ensure that the financial position of each school remains such that the School continues to be a viable entity. The Board can take timely action in case the viability of any school becomes suspect or it is convinced that the current MC cannot fulfil its obligations. Such action may include, in the ultimate case, suspension of the MC concerned, and taking over the functions on an interim basis in consultation with the Embassy.

The parents of Indian School Molada have been opposed to the suspended MC. There is huge surplus fund in the school. There are other problems also in the functioning of the school. It is expected that similar action will follow in some of the interior schools.

Normally the Board cannot interfere in the working of individual schools unless a situation arises in which gross irregularities are observed and intervention of the Board becomes essential in the overall interests of the community. In such cases, appropriate action shall be taken after the matter has been discussed by the Board with the Embassy of India. Indian School Molada, a community school, has been witnessing periodic rebellion which are sometimes instigated by certin vested interests who are all out to malign the image of community schools. By spoiling the community school names, the intention is to convert them into private hands in the long run.