A January 17 order of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — aka the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation — has generated shockwaves within communities of this hi-tech city’s estimated 4,000 preschools and young parents. The order written only in Kannada — the state’s official language — directs all preschools in Bangalore to relocate to designated commercial areas. “Close down in a week or reply to notices for operating in residential areas without trade licences,” says the notice issued to private preschools. This out-of-the- blue diktat of BBMP has outraged Bangalore’s young parents, whose protests on social media have gone viral. 

Moreover pre-primary school managements under the banners of the Indian Montessori Centre (IMC), Federation of Montessori Schools and Karnataka Council of Preschools (KCP) have lodged strong protests with the BBMP, the education ministry and have also reportedly briefed counsel to file a writ petition against the BBMP order.

Comments Anantha Padmanabha, executive director, Indian Montessori Centre (estb.1989) which has 1,200 institutional members: “Preschool education by definition is a neighbourhood activity. It is ridiculous to expect tiny tots aged between 18 months to five years to commute to preschools in commercial areas. Citizens have a fundamental right to provide preschool education which by definition can’t be in commercial areas.”

On January 24, all the three associations of preschool education providers submitted a memorandum to BBMP mayor G. Padmavathi, seeking a revocation of the January 17 order. “The mayor has assured us that she will take the necessary action. In case we don’t hear from her, we will challenge the BBMP’s directive in the Karnataka high court,” says Pruthwi Banwasi, secretary of the Karnataka Council of Preschools. 

However, BBMP commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad (IAS) is sticking to his guns. “Preschools are essentially commercial establishments and if operating in residential areas, are flouting zonal regulations. They are in violation of the city’s Revised Master Plan, 2015 by operating commercial enterprises in designated residential zones and buildings. We have also received complaints from resident welfare associations that preschools cause lot of noise and traffic chaos in residential areas,” says Prasad. 

However Swati Popat Vats, the Mumbai-based founder president of the Early Childhood Association of India (estb. 2010) which has a membership of 3,000 preschools countrywide, dismisses Prasad’s rationale as “ridiculous”. “No other city in India has restricted preschools to commercial areas. It’s commonsense that youngest children can’t be made to commute to pre-primaries. There are health and safety issues involved. The commissioner should immediately withdraw the notices issued to Bangalore’s preschools. If the matter goes to the high court as it surely will if it’s not withdrawn, the judges will pass strictures against him,” says Popat Vats.
That’s gratuitous, well-meant advice that the commissioner would do well to heed.

Odeal D’Souza (Bangalore)