Maharashtra cabinet clears RTE rule, move triggers stiff opposition

Parents and schools are wary of the The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rule, 2011, which was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday. Under the rule, all schools, including private ones, will have to reserve 25% seats for underprivileged children. The state will pay Rs1,000 per month as tuition fees for each student.

While schools are worried about the additional expenses, parents fear that schools will pass on the burden to them by hiking fees.
“Schools cannot generate funds on their own. If we are not allowed to hike fees, implementation of the reservation policy looks difficult,” said Vandana Lulla, director, Podar International School.

Kusum Kanvar, principal of Billabong High in Malad, said: “Even state-aided schools will find it difficult to implement the rule especially when they are not allowed to hike fees, and some have not even been getting non-salary grants.”

Parents are also upset that under the rule the trustee will be the chairperson of the school management committee in unaided schools. “If the school heads the committee, parents will not get the freedom to voice their opinions. There is scope for corruption,” said Subhash Apte from Charni Road.

Farida Lambay, founder of Pratham, feels that implementation of the rule might not guarantee quality education. “While children will get their fundamental right to education, how do we know how much the child has learned? And what about secondary education?”

The rule also does not include any strong monitoring mechanism to screen the admission process.

“A vigilance committee is required to check if schools are conducting interviews and tests during admissions. The state commission for protection of child rights needs to get involved or we should ape the system of lottery admissions like in Delhi,” said Jayant Jain, president, Forum For Fairness In Education.