Those ‘big’ schools in the neighbourhood have for long been a dream for many students from the economically weaker sections. The RTE quota that reserves 25 per cent of the seats to such children has come as a boon, though several issues continue to nag the implementation of the Act, which came into force on April 1, five years ago.
After doors of these ‘big’ schools opened — albeit forcefully — for these students, experience for both children and parents have been varied. Parents, who have been through an emotional roller-coaster ride during the admission process, still struggle to meet the demands of their children — from an expensive geometry box to a school picnic — all of which comes with an additional expense for many families that are struggling to eke out a living.
Despite the administrative hiccups, so far 2.11 lakh children across the State have been enrolled in private schools under the RTE quota, which was implemented in Karnataka three years ago.
Though many parents are in a dilemma over the added expenses, some have been reported to be even working extra hours or an additional shift to fund their children’s needs. “We forget all our efforts and hard work when we see our children learning new things in the new school. My son is doing everything I never did in school,” says Vijayalakshmi S.
However, the RTE Students and Parents Association general secretary B.N. Yogananda said there is still a need to ensure that certain schools stop exhorting fees illegally under various subheads.
Sanidhi, (6) RNS Vidyaniketan School
A talkative six-year-old Sanidhi loves school and has bagged a medal and a trophy in the dance and sports competition. When you look at her and listen to her recite rhymes, it is hard to imagine that two years ago she used to live on the streets along with her mother, a nomad from Madhya Pradesh, who sells balloons. Ask her what she wants to become and she instantly replies that she wants to become a ‘DC’. When you ask her what a DC is, she says “DC malum nahi? (You don’t know what a DC is?). Collector.”
Tutored and mentored by the Block Education Officer South 2 Nagarathnamma D., who identified her during the out-of-school children drive, she says she wants to become a “big” person one day. Showing off all that she has learnt in school, the LKG student is busy reciting “A, B, C, D… 1, 2, 3, O.N.E.” When most children look forward to the weekends, Sanidhi says she hates weekends as she does not have to go to school.
Harshith S.V. (6) Orchid International School, Jalahalli
Vijayalakshmi S., a homemaker and mother of Harshith, has always been a proud parent. But she could not stop beaming with excitement when she attended a parent-teacher meeting a month ago. She was thrilled to find that her son had scored an A+ in not only academics but also extra-curricular classes. Harshith, who has been studying in the school for a year under the RTE quota, is also a budding sportsperson. Recently, she says he was presented the second prize in running race by badminton legend Prakash Padukone.
Ask his mother what she is most proud of her son’s achievements, she says, “He speaks fluent English. He can go on talking about it for several minutes.” She says that he is so “well settled” in the school that she has to devote time every day to listen to her son’s stories on the events in school.
Ask the chirpy six-year-old, whose father works as a cab driver, about what he aspires to become when he grows up, he says, “Go to the second standard!”
Hasanmukhi S. (8) Vidyashilp Academy
Out of 36 students in her class, only a few were selected for the spelling bee inter-school competition, and Hasanmukhi was one of them. Thrilled with the opportunity, she said that she religiously prepared for the contest and learnt several big words like “measurement, future, length and nature”. She says that her ‘big’ school is one of the best things that happened to her. Ask her why she loves school and the list is endless. “I love swimming, skating, cricket, yoga, and athletics.”
Her father, K.S. Sanjay, a farmer by profession says that the RTE quota has come as a blessing to families that would not even have dreamt of admitting their children to such ‘big’ schools. “We were unable to study well. With every word our daughter learns, there is joy added in our lives,” he says.
Sachin S., (10) Kendriya Vidyalaya Railway Colony
Sachin’s teachers laud him for being on time to school. He has never reached school late. Every day at 7.55 a.m., Sachin S. eagerly waits for the van at the bus-stop. As Kendriya Vidyalaya was one of the schools that started admitting students under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) much before other schools did, he is now promoted to class five with a first class. His mother works in an automobile factory and his father is a person with physical disability.
Dressed in a crisp ironed uniform with polished shoes, Sachin, who aspires to become a police officer, says he loves the atmosphere of the school and loves the attention that his teachers give him. Parameshvara B.N., his class teacher, says that he has an excellent grasping power and willingness to learn. “He comes from a modest background but has the interest to learn. He does not need any additional coaching classes. ”
