*25% free seats be given to poor students: Harsh
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 2: Agitated over the brazen violation of Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 by the present regime in UT of J&K, the activists of Panthers Party led by its Chairman and former minister, Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest demonstration at Press Club, here today.
While raising slogans against the Govt, the angry protesters accused the UT Administration of colluding with the private schools and further extracting fees and other charges from the students of Class-I to Class-VIII by blatantly defying the provisions of RTE Act.
Highlighting features of the RTE Act, Singh said that it mandated the private schools to take at least 25 % of the class strength from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) at the time of admission in class-I and provide free and compulsory education till class-VIII.
“The said provision is not being implemented in J&K due to nexus between some officers of Education Department and the private school management, depriving the poor and economically weaker students of their constitutional rights. The nexus needs to be busted”, Singh asserted.
He expressed anguish over the gross violation of the Act by Govt as well as private schools. He said not only the most significant provisions of the RTE Act have been violated with impunity by the Education Deptt but the private schools have also been granted immunity from observing the mandatory provisions of the Act.
“RTE Act envisaged free and compulsory education to all the children of the age of 6 to 14 years, from class-I to class-VIII. It provides that no school fee, capitation, charges or expenses are to be paid by the child to get elementary education, a provision which was being brazenly defied by the Govt schools in the UT of J&K. The Act further states that no child or his parent would be subject to any screening procedure for admission to school. It further calls for provision of free text-books, writing materials and uniforms”, revealed Singh.
Expressing shock over the collection of huge fee and other charges by the Govt from students of class-I to class-VIII in violation of the said Act, Singh revealed that the schools have been charging the students in the forms of School Improvement Fund, Red Cross Fund, Mutual Benefits Fund, Games Fund, Printing Fund, Science Fund, Computer Fund, Lab Development Fund, Social activity Fund, Sweeping charges, Electricity/Telephone Fund and News Fund in brazen violation of the provisions of the RTE Act. He sought the refund of all fee charged from students by schools in last two years.
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