That minority status is what many school managements are after is amply clear from the fact that of the city's 442 secondary schools, 117 are run by minority trusts. Many more have applied for getting their existing status changed.

Says Rajabhai Pathak of Swastik Shishuvihar school, ``What the trusts not having minority status do is induct trustees belonging to the minority communities and get minority status.'' Pathak says that such schools then indulge in rampant corruption as they are exempted from taking several no-objection certificates (NoCs).

The special privileges that the minority-status schools get are quite attractive. They do not need an NoC from the government while recruiting staff. They do not even have to maintain ratio of SC/ST candidates and so they almost always recruit candidates from open category. While general category schools are required to have 55 students per class, the minority-status schools can do with just 23. They do not even need the permission of the government for increasing the number of classes. Also, there is no government representative in the disciplinary committee set up to take action against erring employees.

Bhaskarbhai Patel of Aroma School says that such schools almost always recruit people from their own families. Interestingly, minority status is given on two criteria: religious minority or linguistic minority.

Commissioner of Schools Tapan Ray says the department is looking into the matter. He said the department was ``aware'' that the benefits available for minority schools were being misused by some.

Even Gujarat Secondary Education Board (GSEB) chairman G D Vyas admits that norms for granting minority status need to be revamped. ``The GSEB executive committee is scheduled to discuss this at its next meeting,'' he said, while admitting that loopholes in the law were being misused. ``We are concerned about it,'' he said.

However, District Education Officer (Ahmedabad city) G K Patel tried to play down the issue. ``I do not think this is happening on a major scale,'' Patel said. However, he said that in the case of a school in Odhav area, procedure had been initated to cancel the school's minority status after it came to light that the school's Patel trustees had been replaced.