Indian School Bahrain management states opposition claims as 'baseless'

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Indian School Bahrain (ISB) management yesterday clarified that the false propaganda being spread by some people on social media in connection with the extension of the tenure of the Indian School executive committee is baseless and targeted to tarnish the reputation of the school.

“Their malicious propaganda is a defiant gesture against the country’s judicial system and the COVID-19 guidelines of the Ministries of Education and Health.

The Ministry of Education has given the approval to extend the tenure of the present Executive Committee (EC) for one more term due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement issued by the school management said.

“The school’s executive committee was in constant contact with the Ministry of Education regarding the election procedures even before the term of the current executive committee which expired in December 2020.

The Ministry of Education informed in writing that it was not appropriate to hold an election in the untoward circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the executive committee’s term had been extended for another three years.

“However, one parent filed a case challenging the approval given by the MoE, which was overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court.

This information was communicated to all the parents through a circular from the Indian School dated 16.5.2021.”

The management said that the EC has a unanimous stand that all the executive committee members must be parents during their term of office.

“The current chairman and secretary were the school’s parents until September 2021.”

“As of 31.3.2021, there’s a total fee due of BD 698,217 from 4,578 students which is causing financial constraints on the school. Now 25 per cent of the salary is pending only for three months other than January.

During the last financial year, the school could reduce administrative expenses to a great extent.

“The propagandists are accusing the school of ‘defaulted loan payments’ not realising that it’s because of the moratorium declared in the context of the pandemic in Bahrain.

The school has given a fee concession of BD109,000 to the deserving students including COVID relief assistance in the last financial year.

“The executive committee is determined to conduct the election to the school governing body with the approval of the Ministry of Education when the situation is conducive for such an election after the school function returns to normalcy post-pandemic,” the statement pointed