FIR against Orchid school for ‘lying’ about CBSE affiliation

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: On Wednesday, the Department of Public Instruction filed a criminal complaint against the trust that runs the Orchids International School in Nagarbhavi. The move has come after hundreds of parents alleged that the school authorities were “falsely” claiming to have an affiliation with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

An FIR has been lodged at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar Police Station and the accused have been booked under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Rajashekar HG, the Block Education Officer (BEO) of Bengaluru South has said that action was taken based on directions from Baylanjanappa, the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) for Bengaluru South.

During the inspection by the BEO, it was found that the management was teaching the central syllabus. After a notice was issued, the school claimed that they taught the state syllabus but as a benefit for the students, they also taught from two more private textbooks.

Several reports on Tuesday said parents alleged the Orchids International School of charging a massive fee claiming that the school was affiliated to the CBSE during the time of admission. On the other hand, the school management has maintained that they had applied for certification by the CBSE and are awaiting a response.

The accused in the case are Ralph Andrade, president of St Theresa Educational, Cultural and Social Development Society, Sanjay L, the trusts’ secretary, Manjula B, the school principal and an unnamed managing partner of K12 Techno Services Pvt Ltd.

This is not the first instance where the Orchids school has gotten into trouble. In July 2022, two branches of the school on Magadi Road and Haralur Road were shut down after it was found that they were operating without permission. In the month of December, the BTM Layout branch received a notice for shifting pre-kindergarten kids to a different building without the consent of parents.