School, NGO lock horns on RTE

Even before educational institutions are officially directed to conduct admissions for the weaker sections, as under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009), activists have begun lining up outside schools demanding that poor students be taken in. Given that the government is yet to spell out how and when the schools should implement the 25% quota, experts  advise activists against undue haste.

Wednesday saw members of the Desh Seva Samiti (DSS), an NGO,  landing at the Goregaon-based Vibgyor school gates to secure admissions for eight children from weaker sections. DSS member Avisha Kulkarni, whose daughter Adhishree was expelled from the school due to her mother’s role in opposing a fee hike, was in the lead. When the school authorities did not let them in, furious NGO members complained to the Goregaon police. 

“It’s been two years since the Act and nearly a month since the SC order, how much longer should we wait?” they questioned. School principal Shim Matthews said the RTE did not apply to Vibgyor, as it’s a unaided minority institution.

As per Forum For Fairness in Education president Jayant Jain, the DSS members should have held their horses a little longer. “Many grey areas remain with school managements at a loss about all the rules,’’ he said. Unaided Schools Association head S Kedia was quick to take guard in saying that interference by NGOs and activists is exactly what the schools are fearing. He suggested that “the government should have centralised admissions for these seats and allocate students directly to schools through zonal committee to avoid havoc by third parties.’’

Stating that schools will have to conduct lottery admissions for 25% seats, a senior state education department official said, ‘’Parents falling in the weaker sections can apply using standard application forms that we will put up on our website and also advertise in newspapers. If a school is claiming minority status, education inspectors will check it.” Parents can directly approach the education officers in case of complaints, he added.