Cite RTE Act after their kids had to be admitted in private schools for class VIII
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was at the receiving end when the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights pulled it up for sending an official bereft of any knowledge of the Right to Education (RTE) Act to attend a hearing of a case on March 13.
At least 65 parents of Ayodhya BMC School, Chembur, whose children studied in the institution till class VII, have petitioned the commission against the civic body for not offering education to their children for class VIII. These children had passed their class VII in 2012-2013 and joined private schools for their next academic year. The parents want the BMC to shell out the money that they had to pay for this particular academic year.
According to the RTE Act, every school should provide primary education to children from class I to VIII. However, most of the civic schools do not have classes up to VIII. Activists claim that out of a total of 1,263 primary schools run by the BMC, only 100 schools have classes up to VIII.
Shyam Sonar, member of Mumbai Shikshan Companikaran Virodhi Abhiyan, said, "The RTE Act was implemented in 2010. The central government gave three years for the education department to make provisions for all the facilities that need to be provided under the Act. But the BMC has not made provision for class VIII in most of their schools. This has forced more than 2.5 lakh students in Maharashtra to either drop out of school or go to private schools for further education. We have approached the commission asking for a ruling directing the BMC to pay all the 65 parents the money that they spent in private schools."
Ashok Gajre, parent of one of the girl students who had to take admission in a private school, said: "I had to spend more than Rs5,000 for my daughter's admission. I want the civic education department to pay me for her primary education, which is supposed to be free."
When contacted, a senior official from the civic education department said, "The government is not giving permission to start class VIII in all BMC schools. If this is permitted, then the teachers from government aided schools will become surplus. The fees in government aided schools for boys are minimal, but girls get free education. If students are going to private schools to complete their class VIII, then the reason is that the school would be closer home."
The next hearing of the case will be in April.
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