I write this petition as a proud member of the alumni and parent fraternity of the NPS group of schools in the wake of the misplaced allegations of forgery of a minority certificate by the school.
Starting in 1959, this group has set up educational institutions in and around Bangalore, providing the best quality education right from inception till date. The efforts put in by the management and teachers in enhancing overall student development is unparalleled. Voted the top CBSE school in recent times, the school has nurtured students that have won international acclaim in many a field. The alumni of the school are well placed all across the globe and will gladly attribute their success to the strong foundation laid during their schooling years.
It is extremely unnerving that on 6 September 2016, the Central Board of Secondary Education took a hasty and unsubstantiated decision to disaffiliate 6 schools of the NPS group of institutions, leaving thousands of parents and students in the lurch. The media of India, now well known for its immature and unprofessional sensationalisation of news, made merry of the opportunity.
I urge the NPS fraternity members as well as members of the general public not to fall prey to the pressure tactics of these power-houses. Kindly consider the following points, form an informed decision and sign the petition if you agree:
1. Through the years, there has never been a single instance of compromise in the quality and ethics followed by the management. Each and every member of the school fraternity will vouch for the fact that not a single paisa has ever been asked as a donation during, or any time after, admission. None of the fees is ever collected in cash! How many schools in Bangalore, I wonder, can claim to be so forthright? Is the government taking any action against such erring schools?

2. The success of the school can easily be gauged by the infinite applications and requests for admission into the school. However one thing stands clear in the minds of every applicant….using influence to get a seat has never been encouraged. Admissions are given only on the basis of merit. Now, one can only imagine the pressure on the management when forced to admit students referred by influential persons. Clearly the current turn of events reeks of a power-infested individual denied an unmerited seat in the school. Will the government stop defaming and stand-up for principled individuals who will not compromise on ethical standards?

3. As for RTE, I appreciate the government and the education ministry in coming up with the most ingenious solution for the lack of education amongst the economically weaker sections of society. Congratulations on passing the buck for yet another phenomenal failure on the part of the government in providing basic necessities to the general public.

a. You could not run government schools efficiently in spite of trying for over 60 years now. And what solution did you come up with? Instead of putting in some effort in cleaning up your mess, you have put your feet up and placed the onus on private institutions. Preserve the efficiencies of the private schools and take them to the government schools instead of spreading the inefficiencies of the government schools into private schools.
b. Nobody is inhuman enough to deny free education to the needy. We will be happy to adopt a government school and handhold them into a brighter future. But please do not whimsically insist on introducing RTE into private schools without conducting a comprehensive study on the effects of such a measure on both groups of students at the ground level.
c. I wonder if the government would like to experiment a little further. Why don’t you introduce a Right To Housing Act and place the economically backward people in the houses of the richest people in the country? And you could give them a subsidy for that! Why don’t you introduce a Right To Employment Act and force the private sector to engage 25% of their workforce from the economically backward sector? When every other industry in the private sector is allowed to function freely with the condition that 3% of their profits are to be allocated to meeting CSR needs, why are the rules different for private educational institutions? Ask for their time, money and guidance and they will turn around the face of the government schools.
d. Further, instead of alleging forgery on highly committed and impeccable persons, why don’t you spend that time in evaluating the unethical standards prevailing within your own system? You expect private schools to admit RTE students whose gold-clad parents arrive in the biggest of cars seeking admission. A visit to your block education office will reveal the going rate for an RTE seat at reputed schools.

4. How can a board of education of such repute succumb to pressures and tarnish the image of a respected senior veteran who has dedicated over 60 years of his life in building a fantabulous education system which is still unbeaten? Has CBSE factored in how they will accommodate over 5,000 students from the NPS groups into its other affiliated schools in Bangalore and Mysore? How many schools can CBSE boast of that will provide anything close to the quality of education being provided at NPS? How can CBSE, on one fine day, disaffiliate a group of schools jeopardising the lives of so many students with such a flimsy, weak and influenced decision.
We, as the parent fraternity, extend our full and unconditional support to the NPS group of institutions and urge CBSE to withdraw its disaffiliation notice to the schools and first conduct an appropriate and unbiased enquiry into the matter. We are certain that there has been no misconduct as alleged and CBSE is relenting to undue political pressures, leaving no scope for meritorious institutions and students to function in a free and unstressed environment. We urge the concerned officials of the government, the education ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office to look into the matter judiciously and support the common man against losing yet another battle to the influential unrighteous disgruntled people seeking unmerited seats for admission.