Govt fails to implement RTE norms in private schools

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 22

Even as many years have lapsed since the Right to Education (RTE) was implemented in the state, the government has failed to implement its norms in the private schools across the state.

According to the RTE Act, it is to be implemented across all government, local bodies and private unaided schools. The Act would apply to all private and minority schools, which get grants from the government. All unaided private schools are also covered under the Act with the exception of unaided private minority 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 the neighbourhood.

Schools that reserve 25 per cent seats will be reimbursed 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 to get the Act implemented, many parents stated that there was no transparency in the working of these schools. They said the schools were reluctant to provide education to children as per the provisions of the RTE Act.

There was no attempt from the schools across the district to inform the parents about the facility for the students from the economically weaker sections residing in their neighbourhood. Even no display board has been installed outside these schools to educate the visitors.

Its biggest beneficiary could be the children of parents who are engaged in odd jobs and have to leave home early in the day. They can easily admit their wards in schools in their periphery.

There are over 1,000 private schools in the district affiliated to various education boards, including the Punjab School Education Board, the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE). As per the Act, all these schools are 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 is grossly missing in even the best of city schools.

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

Now, National SC Commission Vice-Chairman Raj Kumar Verka has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Punjab, to know the reasons of the government''s failure to comply with these norms in private schools. He said many other states in the country have implemented this Act, but the SAD-BJP coalition grossly failed to do so. He said this was injustice with children coming from economically weaker sections.