RSS readies to target minority educational institutions

The education wing of the RSS, the Bhartiya Shiksha Mandal (BSM), is planning to file a review petition in the Supreme Court asking it to reconsider the definition of minority institutions. According to the BSM, the management of minority institutions is “misusing” its “privileges” and also shying away from the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and other education-related welfare schemes of the government.

The main contention of the BSM does not rest with this. It has also alleged that these institutions have more general students than those belonging to the minority the institution is being run for; while it is only the management that is comprised of minority members, demanding  a redefinition of minority institutions that will emphasize the composition of students and not that of the management as the main criterion of this constitutional status.

“The purpose of giving privileges to minority institutions was to help the students belonging to minority communities,” this purpong secretary Mukul Kantikar.

Kantikar also went on to add, “the beneficiary should be minority. Just because the management is minority, you cannot have minority status”.

The procedure in use for admitting students to government-aided minority educational institutions is dependent on a calculation of the percentage of students belonging to the given minority community in the given area, by state governments. The 2002 Supreme court order makes way for the provision to admit students belonging to other communities in these institutions for want of enough minority students.

It is Article 30(1) of the Indian Constitution that gives minority communities the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions.

The BSM, after having prepared a draft of the National Education Policy, is now contemplating on either intervening as a stakeholder or filing a petition in the aforementioned matter. “The definition of minority status should be reviewed, for which there should either be a Supreme Court intervention or a constitutional amendment. We want to explore both the possibilities”, Kantikar added.

Source: http://www.tehelka.com/rss-education-wing-demands-new-norm-for-minority-institutions/

Another Christian school ransacked in West Bengal, police blame burglars

KOLKATA: In yet another attack on a christian missionary school at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas early on Wednesday, four class rooms were ransacked and official and educational equipments were also damaged. The almirah in an office room was also broke open and several articles in the almirah were also found scattered on the floor. Police are looking for the culprits. But no one has been arrested in this connection yet.

The ransacking on Believers Charch missionary school at Abdalpur adjacent to the Badu Road towards Barasat's Kharibari in Madhyamgram, barely 4 km from Kolkata Airport triggered a tension in the area.

Panic gripped the bishop, fathers and nuns and the other teachers in the school and they also appealed to the police for a strong security arrangements for the school.

Juria Bardhan, the bishop of the school lodged a complaint on Wednesday morning with Madhyamgram police station in this connection. The school was also remained closed on Wednesday.

"We are really in panic following the attack for the first time in our under Charch school. We could be attacked any time. But We can't understand why the ransacking was carried out and by whom. We have no problem with anybody in the locality. Most of the students come from local area. I have urged police to take a legal action in this connection and to provide adequate security for the school," the bishop said.

The regional co-ordinator of the school, Rabin Dutta said, "Several Christian missionary schools across the country already came under attack. The horror of recent past brutal attack on a Ranaghat convent and subsequent horrible torture on an elderly nun is yet to die down. We got frightened with the Wednesday's attack."

He also said that the attackers damaged the books, study papers, several study equipments, food materials for the students and also musical instruments used by the students.

The school is run under believers Charch here for over a decade.

There are 130 students in the school and those students are studied at free cost. The lunch and tiffin are also provided to the students mostly come from under privileged families.

The guardians of the students also launched an agitation to protest against the attack on an educational institution under the Charch. They have also demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Police said the attack took place around 2.30 am and the goons sneaked into the building through an open window of a bathroom.

"Initially we suspect that petty burglars could strike in search of valuables. We are however investigating the mater and a raid is on to nab culprits", said Bhaskar Mukherjee,ASP, North 24 Parganas.

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