MUMBAI, Feb. 27 -- A notice of motion seeking cancellation of the policy permitting private institutions and NGOs to adopt municipal schools, tabled by Congress corporator Haider Ali Shaikh, was rejected by Mayor Ritu Tawde during the general body meeting on Thursday. The proposal, described by BJP corporators as "agenda-driven", sparked a heated debate in the House. BJP corporators alleged that Shaikh was attempting to mislead the House by demanding the scrapping of the adoption policy after a BMC school in Malvani ceased to be run by the Fazlani Trust and was instead taken over by a Hindu-run NGO. Raising his notice of motion, Shaikh said, "The BMC has been implementing the policy of allowing private institutions and NGOs to adopt municipal schools since 2007. Under this policy, the main objective is to improve the infrastructure, academic quality and administration of municipal schools. The organisations adopting municipal schools are responsible for repairing, painting, cleaning, providing computer labs, educational materials, and appointing trained teachers. Private institutions do not necessarily carry out all these responsibilities properly." Shaikh further stated that according to the central government's education policy and a Supreme Court verdict, it is mandatory to appoint teachers who have passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) in primary and upper primary schools. Shaikh claimed that some institutions adopting municipal schools were appointing teachers who had not cleared the TET exam, and added, "As a result, the possibility of its adverse impact on the education of students cannot be ruled out." The corporator also pointed to the growing demand for municipal schools affiliated to central and international boards. "In fact, the BMC has started schools of central and international boards such as ICSE, CBSE, IB, and Cambridge IGCSE, which has increased the enrolment of students in municipal schools," he said. "Since private schools of other boards are unaffordable for children from ordinary and poor families, these BMC schools are receiving a huge response from parents, and the BMC is even running out of school buildings for education. Considering this situation, the municipal corporation is of the firm opinion that the BMC should immediately cancel the policy of allowing private institutions and NGOs to adopt municipal schools." Countering the allegations, Malad BJP corporator Yogesh Verma said, "There is a BMC school in Malvani which was run by Fazlani school. The teachers were not being paid and there used to be no exams held. The teachers stopped coming and so all the students went to NGO Prayas Foundation, which is paying fees for good teachers. The school is being run as per the policy and government guidelines. The kids are involved in extra-curricular activities, sports, picnics, computer classes." Verma further alleged that Shaikh objected after noticing that the NGO operating the school belonged to the Hindu community while a majority of the students were Muslims. "The Congress does not want good education for (Muslim) kids," he said. "It wants them to remain illiterate so that the community can continue voting for the party. Prayas Foundation is doing everything according to law, and the Congress is just trying to mislead the house by bringing in TET aspect." After hearing arguments from both sides, Mayor Tawde called for voting and rejected the proposal....