Academicians, parents, principals and school managements have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to implement the Right To Education Act, but have aired concerns regarding its implementation and repercussions if not monitored properly.
The SC on Thursday recommended the implementation of the RTE Act, wherein private schools are bound to reserve 25 per cent of seats for students from the underprivileged and marginalised section of the society.
According to Arundhati Chavan, president of the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) United Forum, the Act will ensure that the discrimination between the haves and have-nots will be reduced. “Underprivileged children will get a chance to study with students from the upper society. But it may lead to psychological problems unless the schools ensure that the differences are not allowed to become evident,” Ms Chavan said.
Avnita Bir, principal of Podar School added that the move would put an additional burden on school managements, as the facilities provided by private schools come at a cost that is recovered from the students. “As an academician, I am happy with the SC order but the managements will face a huge financial problem. The government will have to take this into onsideration while deciding on the mode of implementation,” said Ms Bir.
Commenting on the same, Vijaylakshmi Arora, director (policy and advocacy), Child Rights and You, said, “The crucial aspect is that while implementing these provisions, we need to see how well equipped private schools are to execute this in a manner that retains the dignity of the weaker sections of our society. These provisions should be implemented not only in letter, but also in spirit to ensure that children from marginalised communities get access to quality education.”