Navodayas get notice for violating RTE norms

The government’s ambitious right of child to free and compulsory education (RTE) Act seems to be faltering in its own institutions.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which monitors implementation of the Act, has issued notices to the ministry of human resource development (MHRD)-run Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), Delhi government’s Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas and two residential schools in Andhra Pradesh for violating RTE norms by conducting screening for admission.

Section 13 of the RTE Act prohibits screening or written tests for admission up to Class VIII. In fact, it is now an offence which incurs a fine of up to Rs25,000 for first violation and Rs50,000 for second.

While the two Andhra schools have decided to fall in line and Delhi schools too are reconsidering, JNV has refused to abolish screening.

In his reply to NCPCR, JNV commissioner Manoj Singh is reported to have said random selection of students may not be possible for the institution and hence. JNV’s contention is that it admits students from an entire district and it may not be possible to do so without screening.

“About 16 lakh students apply for the 38,000 class VI seats [we have]. Since the seats have to be allocated to various reserved categories in every block of the districts concerned, random selection of students will not be possible. Some type of screening will have to be adopted,” Singh is reported to have said.

JNV has, meanwhile, sought exemption from such provisions, but MHRD is still to take a decision on the matter.

NCPCR, however, has refused to bend rules. “There is no way one can escape the provisions. It’s a law and everyone has to be obey it. JNV can be in trouble if someone goes to court for violating the law. They have to work out a method for admissions which can be through lottery, or first-come-first-serve basis. But screening has to stop,” chairperson Shanta Sinha said.