Bangalore: The Private Unaided Schools Action Committee will hold a protest demonstration in front of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's residence on December 12 demanding withdrawal of the government decision to derecognise schools for flouting the State's language policy.

The committee, which held a meeting here on Saturday, decided to go in a procession from Chikkalalbagh to the Chief Minister's residence and present a memorandum.

Over 5,000 people, including members of managements, teachers, non-teaching staff and parents of children who are affected by the order, are expected to take part in the protest, according to committee president Venkatachaliah N.

Uniform policy sought

Mr. Venkatachaliah told The Hindu that the Education Department order derecognising schools in the State was "unfair" in the absence of a uniform language policy. The present policy allowed the rich to learn English while depriving the poor access to the language, he said.

The Education Department derecognised 2,000-odd schools during the second week of September for violating the language policy of 1994, which states that the medium of instruction should be either Kannada or the mother tongue. The schools had given an undertaking to the department in this regard. When there was opposition to the move, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj Horatti assured parents that the Government would take responsibility for admitting the displaced students in recognised schools in the vicinity.

However, the Minister, after extending the deadline to close down schools till the end of the academic year, said the parents themselves would have to look for alternative schools for their children.

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