Church schools in Madhya Pradesh decry interference

(May 31, 2011) The Catholic Church in central India’s Madhya Pradesh State said on Monday that interference from the State government is forcing it to go to the High Court to protect its right to run its own educational institutions. Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal is accusing the state government of “misusing” a new education law to interfere with the running of Christian schools in the state. The federal government last year introduced the Right to Education Act to provide free and compulsory education for children between six and 14 years old. The act became law on April 1, 2010, but will be implemented for the new academic year beginning in July. The archbishop says the state government is now using it as a tool to harass Christian educational institutions. “Representatives of the district education officers are telling us who should be given admission and are insisting they be part of the decision-making apparatus in our schools,” the prelate said. He added that this violates Article 30 of the constitution and several court orders that grant functional freedom to minority schools. “Government officials are also opposed to giving admission to economically-disadvantaged Christians in the 25 percent quota for poor children,” he added.
Archbishop Cornelio said “We are being forced to go to the court to save our educational institutions. Our petition will also challenge the circular and seek a stay on its implementation, as it is infringing upon on our right to provide quality education.”