NCERT panel favours state funding for poor schools

At a time when marginalised schools are facing the prospect of closure owing to tough conditions in a Central act, a committee has favoured government funding to such institutions to help them sustain themselves.

A committee on 'Development of a Policy Framework for Implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education ACT, 2009 in Schools in the NCT of Delhi' has said
that the government can take steps to provide grant-in-aid to
the genuine schools which face difficulty in paying salary as
per the government's structure.

On fee structure, which has remained a vexed issue for the last few years, the committee has said the students should be exempted from paying any type of fee.
 
"No fee in any kind or form should be charged from the students of elementary school," the committee, set up by NCERT and headed by lawyer Ashok Agrawal, concluded in its report. 

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act says that any school needs to obtain recognition from local or state government for operation. It is silent on teachers' pay. In that case, provisions of the state act, if any, would be applicable.

In the state of Delhi, recognition is given to those schools which agree to implement the teachers' salary as per the government pay structure.

In such circumstances, a number of good schools, whose economic condition is poor, could face the prospect of
closure.

The committee has said teachers should not be exploited by private schools and government should provide financial support to sustain.

All schools in the city should be governed by a single body instead of different departments for benefit of students as well as ensuring quality in education, it suggested. 

 Advocating that a single body could well be the Delhi government, it said the body should also be accorded rights to approve all proposed academic changes, such as textbooks, pattern of evaluation and medium of instruction. It should also be referred to for closure of any schools.

The committee felt the present system, whereby different bodies like NDMC, MCD or Sarvodaya are running schools, is harming the interest of the students. The bodies are giving more importance to their separateness and are making a mockery of the service provided by them. 

It suggested that there should be a unified website for school education in Delhi with all information about all kinds of schools with a report card for every school. 

Stating that present practice of appointment of heads of schools based on seniority is hampering proper school administration, it said selection of 75% of the heads of schools should be done direct through selection processes, and only 25% through limited departmental examination.

The committee also suggested strengthening of the State Council of Educational Research and Training SCERT and DIETs in Delhi.