Times
of India: Gurgaon: Tuesday, 09 September 2014.
In an RTI
reply sent by Haryana's directorate of school education in Panchkula, the state
has admitted that it doesn't maintain any data on students from economically
weaker sections (EWS) studying in 258 private schools in Gurgaon.
The reply,
sent to a city-based activist Aseem Takyar on August 30, also categorically
mentions that the department doesn't have any data of complaints filed against
the private schools, which allegedly flouted the rules by refusing admission to
BPL students.
According to
Section 134A of Haryana State Education Rules, each private school in the state
is meant to reserve 10% seats for EWS students in all classes between I and
XII.
Most private
schools in Gurgaon, on the contrary, have repeatedly given the cold shoulder to
the state's diktat. In February this year, the education department had issued
guidelines to all private schools in Gurgaon, asking them to officially
announce the availability of 10% seats for EWS students. Only nine out of 180
schools in Gurgaon, however, adhered to the guidelines by announcing the same
on the schools' notice boards or websites. Yet, the state continued with its
admission calendar and took a statewide test of EWS students to shortlist them
for admission to the private schools for the academic session 2014-15, which
commenced in April.
When the
shortlisted students were sent to private schools in their neighborhood, some
of them were turned away. The aggrieved parents even knocked on the doors of
district education office in the to complain. When the district administration
attempted to take action, most schools chose to be indifferent to the
government's request, challenging the implementation of Section 134A in Punjab
and Haryana high court.
On May 5, a
two-judge bench of the high court issued an interim order stating that the
state cannot take coercive action against the schools until further orders. In
subsequent hearings of the court on July 4 and August 29, status quo was
maintained. "The case will now be heard before the court on September 22.
Until then, the state can't force us to admit EWS students," said Pratap
Singh, senior vice president of Haryana Progressive Schools' Conference.
While
rejecting the very rationale of giving admissions to the EWS without any
reimbursement, Pratap said it can't be done anyway, unless the state pays for
it. "Would it be acceptable to the parents if we increase the tuition fee
for the rest of the children to make up for the loss we'll incur by admitting
EWS students that the government expects us to?" he asked.
Sunit Ruhil,
district education officer, said, "Whenever parents come to us with a
complaint that schools turned down their applications, we've intervened."
Under the same Section 134A of the Haryana School Education Rules, six years
ago, the state government had reserved 25% seats for EWS students. It was
reduced to 10% in 2013 following strong protests from private schools.
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