The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and the State government on a petition seeking direction for a change in law to extend free education under Right to Education (RTE) to Economically Weaker Students in unaided schools beyond Class VIII and up to Class XII.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar gave the direction on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by civil rights group Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal.
The NGO has in its petition sought directions on extending Section 12 (1)(C) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act to students beyond the age group of 6-14 years.
The petitioner said that it will help avoid interruption in studies, harassment of students of certain categories after passing Class VII and help them complete their basic education.
“After Class VIII, students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and other disadvantaged groups are asked by schools authorities to leave because they are incapable of affording fee from Class IX onwards,” the plea said.
Mr. Agarwal said such students are left with the only option to join government schools. “Since government schools are Hindi-medium, these will not only be highly prejudicial to students’ interest but also defeat the very object of providing free education in an unaided private school,” the plea said.
“Their parents are not in a position to pay hefty fees in unaided private schools from Class IX onwards,” it added.
Right to Education
Mr. Agarwal said that not just in the Capital, but students admitted under the RTE countrywide are facing threat of removal after passing Class VIII.
“The very objective of RTE of allowing EWS students to study in unaided schools will be defeated if they are not allowed to continue studies up to Class XII,” argued Mr. Agarwal.
