25% quota for EWS: Local RTI activist seeks Governor's intervention

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Amritsar, December 13

A local RTI activist and member of the Republic Party of India (Athawale), Satnam Singh Gill, has written to Governor Banwarilal Purohit seeking his intervention in ensuring that students belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) category get admissions in recognised private schools. The Punjab Government had mandated that the seats in government schools should be filled before seeking admission in private schools under EWS reservation. While many private recognised schools keep the reservation of EWS open for admissions, Gill alleged that the schools forge EWS admissions in order to retain their recognition.

The 25 per cent EWS reservation was instituted under Right to Education act and Punjab had mandated under Section 7 (4) of the Punjab Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011, that if any child from economically weaker section is not able to get admission in any government school due to any reason, they may apply to private school against the 25 per cent reservation seats. Satnam Singh argued that private schools have been not complying with these orders by forging the admissions under EWS category.

“We have been raising the issue since long and have written to multiple authorities in this regard. But there are several schools, who are filling up reserved seats through paid admissions, violating the RTE,” he said.

Earlier, this year, on Gill’s complaint, Deepak Kumar Hans, senior chairman, Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes, had directed the District Education Office to conduct inquiry and inspection of recognised schools in the district to find out any violation regarding the RTE Act. While the probe did not find any violations by any school, several private schools in the Rayya block were inspected and issued notices in this regard. Satnam Singh Gill has now approached the Governor’s office for intervention.