Poor kids fail to cash in on RTE Act

Updated on: Saturday, September 17, 2011

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force on April 1, 2010, making it compulsory for all private and unaided schools to reserve 25% seats for poor students, but even after more than a year, none of the schools in the city has received admission requests or queries. And principals think that it is the inhibition among the economically weak section that is keeping them away from such schools.

Principal of Activity High School on Pedder Road Perin Bagli said, “Students who are not well off may find it difficult to adjust with the other children in our schools. Two admission seasons have passed since the RTE Act was implemented but we have not received a single request from any poor student. Even if we forget about the economic differences, the Centre should have thought about how the students will be affected psychologically.”

Principals, many of who think that the Act may not materialise, also fear that they may not be able to cope with the studies either. “They will definitely need remedial teaching as only classroom lessons will not be enough. If students are admitted in classes according to their ages (as prescribed by the RTE Act), then they will not understand any lesson in higher classes. That might be one of the reasons why parents are refraining from approaching private schools,” said a principal. Concurring with her, Sudeshna Chatterjee, principal of Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu, said, “The state must also clarify how the policy should be implemented and how we are supposed to admit poor students.” The Unaided Schools’ Forum had apparently asked the government to allow schools to have special lessons for poor students. “But the Centre wants students from both the sections to be taught in the same class,” said S C Kedia, joint secretary of the forum.

Though the government is supposed to pay Rs 1,000 per child a month, the new policy may still translate into an economic burden for many schools where the monthly fees are higher than that amount. Gregory Lobo, secretary of the Archdiocesan Board of Education, said, “Aided schools have not been given non-salary grants for more than seven years. Private schools are unable to increase their fee structure as parents oppose it. If we have to offer subsidised education to the poor as well, we will be forced to shut schools.” A state government officials, however said, the department would chalk out the entire plan systematically. “There are already 10 government resolutions, which the schools are supposed to follow. If any of the GRs contradict the rules passed in the cabinet on Wednesday, necessary changes will be made.”

Poor kids fail to cash in on RTE Act

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