​Cash-strapped ISB to hike fee

The Indian School Bahrain (ISB) annual general body meeting (AGM) held on the Isa Town campus of the school yesterday decided to increase the school fees by  BD 5 per child. The decision comes a year after the current Executive Committee (EC) supported by the Progressive Parents Alliance (PPA) was voted to power in a hotly-contested election last December.

The  AGM, attended by 391 parents, was apprised of the dire financial constraints the school has been  facing over the past few years and the proposal for increasing the fee was suggested from the floor, which was accepted by the ISB Chairman Prince S. Natarajan, who presided over the meeting.

A school spokesman said the decision to hike the fees was unanimous. “That is the sole option for clearing debt and sustainable financial position. Aid from the community leaders and school fare are other options, but these are interim solution only,”  he said. 

BD 5 fee  increase was proposed by parents after recommendations from the financial committee of the school. The   EC will seek the approval from Bahrain’s Ministry of Education before implementing the decision. After getting the approval from the Ministry, the revised fee structure will be implemented as a long-term solution to save the school from financial instability.

A source from the school said even if the fee was increased, the school would be in a break-even point,  a ‘no-profit-no-loss’ situation.

During the meeting, the school Chairman clarified that the school was running an operating deficit of BD30,000 per month and the accumulated debt of the school has reached BD1.3 million. Natarajan said that the school had an outstanding debt of BD300,000 when the earlier executive committee handed them over the management. “All efforts have been put to improve the financial condition of the institution. But the school needs a sustainable solution.” 

According to a source, the decision to increase the fee will affect more than 8,000 parents. “But the school is determined to give fee concessions to the deserving parents. It will approach the community leaders and alumni for financial aid.” 

Constitutional
amendments

All resolutions related to the amendment of the school constitution were forwarded to the constitution amendment committee and the new constitutional proposals will be submitted to the EC within six months.

The EC will study the proposals. After approving the proposal, an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) will be convened by the school and the constitutional amendments will be discussed and put for voting. If the EGM approves the amendments with two-third majority, it will come into force. 

No-confidence motion rejected

The no-confidence motion put forward by two parents were not discussed by the AGM. The EC clarified after legal consultations that introducing a no-confidence motion in an AGM would set a wrong precedence in future to challenge a democratically elected body. 

The no-confidence motion was put forward by Dr A. Kamarudhin, who was the ISB chairman during 1999-2002, and Jose Edward, a long-time resident of Bahrain.

Dr Kamarudhin told DT News that the EC assured him that all corrective measures would be taken to improve the academic standard of the school and ensure transparency in the functioning of the EC. He said hence he didn’t pressurise the committee to take up the no-confidence motion for further deliberation. 

Debates and commotion 

The AGM of the school saw heated debates and boycotting in the morning yesterday. One issue was about the delay of appointment of the new continuity member to the EC. The United Parents Panel (UPP), which opposes the EC, raised the point of order for the continuity member and they demanded not to conduct the meeting without the continuity member. 

The previous school Chairman Abraham John,though he is not a parent now, is supposed to be the continuity member as per school constitution, UPP claimed. 

But Natarajan refused to agree to the demand and went on with the meeting, saying the decision regarding the continuity member will be taken by Ministry of Education, not by the EC.   

Commenting that the EC’s approach was totally wrong, UPP Chairman Ajaya Krishnan and Convener Rafeeq Abdulla said nominating continuity member   was the right of immediate past EC and the present committee should implement it. Natarajan refused the point of order to be discussed following which the opposition parents, many of whose wives were teachers in the school, boycotted the meeting, shouting slogans.

Classrooms to go smart

The ISB classrooms will go smart from next academic year, if financial constraints are overcome, it has been decided in the AGM yesterday. The AGM has approved the project and it will be implemented with the help of the community. 

Shift system for primary wing 

The school will also follow the Education Ministry’s instructions related to the parent-teacher ratio. Currently the school has around 42 students in each class especially in the primary wing. This will be reduced to 35, as recommended by the Ministry. The infrastructure paucity will be overcome by introducing shift system in classes 1,2 and 3 from the next academic year.  

FDP for teachers

As per the teacher audit conducted recently, around 96 teachers were found ‘weak’ in teaching. The school will introduce Faculty Development Programme (FDP) to give more advanced training to the ‘weak teachers.’