Collector Anshul Mishra has directed private schools in the district to reserve 25 per cent of the seats at the entry level for children belonging to economically and socially backward sections of society, as mandated under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
Addressing the principals of 168 private schools in the district on Friday, he said, “I don’t want to hear any kind of excuses from any school for not reserving the requisite seats. I want implementation of the RTE Act in letter and spirit. Every child deserves quality education and it cannot be provided only to those who can afford to pay.”
“It is high time you did some introspection. I want you to come out with a transparent mechanism for the implementation of the Act.”
Mr.Mishra said the district administration would ensure strict adherence to the Act, and would see to it that no eligible child was denied admission for want of a community or income certificate.
“If any of the applicants does not possess these certificates, refer the matter to me and I will make sure that the certificates are issued promptly,” he said.
The Collector also asked the principals and parents to contact him through his e-mail ID: collrmdu@gmail.com or over his mobile phone number 9444171000 or his personal assistant by dialling 0452-2525202 if any child was denied a seat.
Later, a power point presentation was made by R.Geetha Kumari, Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Thirupparankundram here. Ms.Kumari said her school had been reserving 25 per cent of seats in Standard I since April 2010 when the RTE Act came into force, and the students who were admitted in the first batch were now in Standard III.
The school had three sections, each with a student strength of 40, in Standard I. Hence, 10 seats in each section were reserved under the RTE, she added.
“This year, we received 182 applications under the RTE though we had reserved only 30 seats. We constituted an independent committee which shortlisted the applications on the basis of proximity between the applicant’s residence and the school and then selected the candidates through a draw of lots,” she said.
Chief Educational Officer C. Amuthavalli warned the schools of drastic consequences, such as withdrawal of their recognition, if they failed to implement the Act.
