Pune Education Department to hold meetings with schools to ensure a smooth RTE implementation

Updated on: Monday, December 31, 2012

After being criticised for the shoddy implementation of the Right to Education Act (RTE), the Pune division of the Education Department has decided to hold a series of meetings with schools to ensure a smooth RTE implementation in the coming academic year.

Suman Shinde, deputy director, education, said, “We will conduct meetings from January 1 to 10 with various district schools.” “In addition, we are also planning to hold individual meetings with school principals that had raised problems with the issue of 25 per cent seat reservation for students from economically weaker section (EWS), in the past years,” he added.

Emphasising that from the next academic year, the RTE implementation will be done strictly and no lapses will be entertained, he said, adding schools that claim to be minority unaided, and hence, do not admit students under RTE will be double checked. Any institution that takes any type of grant, monetary or otherwise, like in the form of land, will be liable to admit students under the reserved quota for the EWS,” he said. “Only listed minority schools that are taking no aids from the government are exempted from this rule.”

It has been alleged that the number of private schools in the city have increased and in many cases have doubled the fees. “We have come to know about it. We are inquiring into the matter and action will be taken once the enquiry is complete,” he said.

The admission procedure for EWS students will start from January 11, 2013. “The RTE schedule will be put up regularly on the official website. Some of the beneficiaries of the 25 per cent seats under RTE do not check websites. For them we have also directed the schools to put up notices giving all information related to RTE implementation,” he said.

As per the official website, all schools must start issuing application forms from January 11 to 30. From February 1 to15, the application forms will be scrutinised after which the list of candidates eligible for admission under the scheme will be compiled.

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