School flouted educational norms

The school where a three-year old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted twice has been found to be illegally conducting classes upto ninth standard when it had permission only upto class V, a top official said today.
A showcause notice was issued to an education department officer for 'hiding' facts in this regard, the official said.
"We have found out that the school has not adhered to the educational norms. The management is permitted to teach from nursery to fifth standard but they are teaching till ninth, which is impermissible," Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin told PTI here.
Mohsin said the department has issued a showcause notice to Block Education Officer, Ramesh accused of hiding facts with regard to the permission accorded to the school.

"During our investigation - since the alleged sexual assault on a three-year-old came to light - we found out that the BEO was allegedly guilty of hiding facts. He had submitted a report claiming the school was accorded permission to teach upto ninth standard, instead of fifth standard," Mohsin said.
The BEO failed to substantiate his report with relevant documents. Further action will be taken on the issue after he replied to the notice, the Commissioner added.

Taking a serious note of rising incidents of sexual assaults of minor girls in schools, the Karnataka High Court had on November 7 directed authorities to take action against erring officials and flayed the state education department for not initiating steps to check mushrooming of illegal schools.

The three-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted twice -- on October 22 and November 26 -- in the premises of a private school in the fifth such incident in as many months.
A school attendant was arrested on November 30 after the mother of the victim registered a police complaint.