Education Department issues ultimatum

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 17

The Punjab Education Department has issued an ultimatum to city-based private schools to submit the required documents to get affiliation under the Right to Education (RTE) Act in the next seven working days, but educationists believe it is a cosmetic gesture.They are of the view that the department is way behind in implementing the norms of the Act.

DEO (Elementary) Jugraj Singh said strict directions had been issued to all private schools in the district and non-compliance with the Act would attract punishment. He said 450 schools out of the total 854 private schools in the district had been issued temporary affiliation under the RTE Act.

These schools have been directed to submit certificates of building safety, potable water and fire safety besides copies of school society or trust deed along with form number two, details of the school and a list of school teachers.

Even as many years have passed since the RTE Act was implemented in the state, the government failed to implement its norms in the private schools.

According to the Act, all schools covered by the law have to compulsorily reserve in Class I (or nursery at the entry level) at least 25 per cent seats of the total strength of that class for children belonging to the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in its neighbourhood.

Schools which reserve 25 per cent seats will be reimbursed the expenditure to the extent of per-child expenditure incurred by the state as a whole or the actual amount charged from the child, whichever is less. Besides, the law also makes it mandatory to recruit at least one Inclusive Education Resource (IER) Teacher in each school.

A minimum of 25 per cent of the seats in private schools with regard to children from weaker sections are reserved for students in the six-14 age group.

Criticising the failure of the government to get the Act implemented, many parents said there was no transparency in the working of these schools. They said the schools were reluctant to provide education to children according to the provisions of the RTE Act.

The Act’s biggest beneficiary could be the children of parents who are engaged in odd jobs and have to leave home early in the day because they can easily admit their wards in the nearby schools. There are 854 private schools in the district affiliated to various education boards, including the Punjab School Education Board, the Central Board of School Education and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education. According to the Act, all these schools have to seek affiliation under the RTE Act.

The Act ensures free text books, writing material and uniforms, apart from free education to poor children. Children with disabilities are also entitled to get free special learning and support material.

Parents of a student studying in a leading school said the pupil-teacher ratio and the student-classroom ratio to the desired level of 1:35 as stipulated in the RTE Act was grossly missing in even the best schools of the city.

The Act also makes it mandatory to provide separate toilets for boys and girls besides safe and adequate drinking water facilities for all children.