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Gujarat: Session starts, RTE admissions in limbo

Over 30,000 seats under RTE lying vacant after Round 1 of admissions, no clarity on Round 2

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File photo of children seeking admission to different schools under RTE
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The attempts of the state government to send more children to school under the Right to Education (RTE) Act seem to have gone futile this year. With over a week of the new session already over, the RTE admissions are in a limbo for various reasons. It all started with over 30,000 seats lying vacant after the first round of admissions, followed by a long delay before the second round.

On the other hand, the CBSE schools have written to the state government, seeking clarity on the age rule under the RTE Act, which is different from the CBSE rules. As per the RTE Act, to be eligible for admission in Class 1, students have to be five years old, whereas it is six as per the CBSE rules. Moreover, parents seeking the RTE way to get education for their children have raised the problem in the system due to lack of a grievance redressal mechanism. They have accused officials of not accepting their objection applications in cases where the schools allotted to them were not viable. Many have alleged that schools were demanding extra fees from them under various pretexts.

According to experts, the state government is simply keeping mum over schools not entertaining RTE kids or threatening parents.

State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama had said that the schools found flouting the RTE rules would face heavy fine and penalty. However, no action has been taken yet. "The matter is pending in HC. Two cases related to RTE are pending, it is not in or hands. How do we take any decision during pendency," he said.

Ishu Gupta, a research associate at IIMA's RTE Resource center, feels that the nature of complaints over the years has remained the same but the authorities have yet to find a solution. "Even the online system has no proper mechanism to register complaints against the discrimination these children face in the schools," she said. "Each parent cannot go to the court for justice. If the 'right to schooling' has to be implemented without torturing the children, there must be proper social audits and grievance redressal mechanism. We cannot keep using children for testing out our adhoc implementation mechanisms".

CBSE schools in await clarity

An association of schools and a private school had approached the Gujarat High Court two weeks ago challenging the state government’s direction to admit children under the age of 6 in Class 1 under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

The petition came after the state Education Department directed Udgam School for Children to admit 33 children, who had not completed six years as on June 1, to Class 1. It was also directed to admit another child who was more than 10 years old in the same class. The school said that it had confirmed admission of 15 other students allotted under RTE in Class 1.

PASSING THE BUCK

  • CBSE schools have written to the state government, seeking clarity on the age rule under the RTE Act, which is different from the CBSE rules.
     
  • Officials accused of not accepting their objection applications in cases where the schools allotted to them were not viable.
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