Schools violating RTE to lose recognition

With the advent of the Right to Education Act, parents who have completed the admission process for their children to Class 1 in unaided non-minority schools are suddenly panicking.

For, the State Education department maintains it will ensure schools adhere to the Act from this academic year and those violating the rule will “not be recognised.”

When Deccan Herald contacted the department over the fate of schools which have closed admissions even before implementing the RTE, Kumar Naik, Secretary, Education department, said strict action would be initiated against such institutions.

“We’ll not recognise them. The department has sent circulars clearly specifying the timetable for admissions. If schools have advanced the process, then the department will ensure they enrol 25 per cent of children from the economically weaker sections. Unless we start implementing the Act strictly, they will not take us seriously,” he said.

But what are schools supposed to do? Cancel some admissions to accommodate children under the 25 per cent bracket?

An officer said the modalities were being worked out and guidelines would be issued within 10-12 days.

A Deva Prakash, Director of Public Instructions, said so far no parent or school had made any complaint in this regard. “If the admission process has been completed, then the repercussions have to be studied. But so far, we have not received any complaint from either the parents or schools.”

Prakash, however, said parents could register their complaints with the District Education Regulating Authority. “Unless people tell us their problem, we’ll not be able to help them,” he added.

‘Can’t enforce rule’

G S Sharma, president of the Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements Association, says the government cannot “interfere” or “enforce the rule” on unaided non-minority schools which have already begun the admission process.

“As per the Supreme Court’s judgment in the TMA Pai Foundation case, the unaided schools, which are autonomous bodies, need not follow the department’s timetable.

Schools are free to even collect the fees they want. The department can’t interfere and tell us to cancel admissions,” he said.

“There’s going to be total confusion over the issue. The department has not held meetings with us. Nor has it issued guidelines. By the end of the month, problems will worsen,” he said.