As it turns out the Right to Education has once again been denied. Masseur Prem Pal Singh, who wanted his son Shivam to study in the government-run Sarvodaya Vidyalaya Co-ed School in Ambedkar Nagar, learnt it the hard way. Many others too have been turned away by schools with excuses like unavailability of admission forms and shortage of seats.
The capital boasts of being the first state to make education a right for children aged between 6 and 14. According to RTI mandate, every child between 6 and 14 years of age has a right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school till completion of elementary education. But Arvind Singh Lovely, education minister, Delhi, shares a different point of view. “We have 300 Sarvodaya Vidyalayas running in Delhi. Why was this child only looking for admission in this school, when there were no seats available? We promise admission to every child and primary education to all. But if the seats are full, parents should look for other options and schools with seats. Government schools can only accommodate 40 students per class, so blaming it on the school is not justified. We know our responsibility and so even parents should co-operate with us.”
As private schools reserve 25 per cent seats for children of economically weaker sections, private school authorities say there should be a balance in number of seats in private and government schools for EWS students. “Schools like Sarvodaya only enroll high achievers, but as per the rules, government schools cannot deny admission to students from weaker sections. Private schools today reserve 25 per cent seats for such students — a rule we follow. There should be a balance in number of seats for EWS students in both private and government schools. Making rules will not work, proper implementation is also necessary,” says Chetna Shrivastava from Springdales, Dhaula Kuan.
“Student from weaker sections need our support and proper training. We have a system of lucky draw while enrolling students from EWS category because of a limitation in the number of seats. And they are doing well. Last year, our topper was a girl from EWS category and even our head girl in junior school belongs to a weaker section. It’s nobody’s business to take away the right to education from these kids. Strict action should be taken against such schools,” says Usha Ram, principal, Laxman Public School.