Expenses on kids to decide relief for schools

Updated on: Friday, July 03, 2009

New Delhi: The cost to the exchequer of enforcing the Right To Education (RTE) bill, cleared by the cabinet on Thursday, would be Rs 12,000 crore every year. Even private unaided schools will get assistance, as 25% of their seats will have to be reserved for poor children in the neighbourhood. However, the bill is clear that schools that have got land at a concessional rate and were anyway obliged to reserve 25 per cent of their seats for poor children in the neighbourhood will not be compensated. Compensation will be based on the expenditure per child. Currently, the per child cost borne by the government is Rs 3,000 per annum. The share of the Centre and states will be decided later.

The principals of several schools had raised the relief issue with HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday. But the minister said schools should not mind losing a little bit of their profit. To ensure parents have an equal stake in the system, the bill provides for school management committees in all government and aided schools.

Expenses on kids to decide relief for schools

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