Fate of 128 RTE children from Mangalore in limbo

Six minority schools get a stay from High Court after they sought exemption

KARNATAKA Mangalore 19\03\2014: Parents with children participating at a discussion program at the RTE consultation meeting for same quality education, at ISD Hall, Krishna Shasthri, Balila and Madhava Gowda, are also seen, in Mangalore on Wednesday. - PHOTO: H.S.MANJUNATH

As many as 128 students in six unaided schools face denial of free education under the Right to Education Act in the city after the Karnataka High Court granted an interim stay in February last week.

The stay was granted on the petition filed by several managements of educational institutions which sought exemption from the Act claiming minority status. Of the six institutions, two have claimed themselves as Catholic institutions while two others have claimed minority status as they belong to linguistic minority community.

The problem of these children came to fore during the consultation on the Right To Education Act organised by PADI, a nongovernmental organisation, here on Wednesday.

A.K. Harris from Al Falah Charitable Trust, said as many as 128 students from the six schools had been denied free education under the Act. “What is the purpose of allocating seats (25 per cent as required under the Act) and then denying applicants on account of a court’s order? When they are claiming relief as a minority institution, why did they not make it clear to applicants?” he said.

Mr. Harris said a representation had been sent to the Deputy Director of Public Instruction pointing out the hardship caused to the children. A mother of a six-year-old boy said she had been called by a school in Kodialbail to attend for the draw of lots to select students under the Act on March 3. On March 1, the school management called her up to say that the programme had been cancelled in wake of the stay granted by the High Court. Her son is in UKG in the same school. “I was left with no time to apply to any other school. I hope my child gets admission in the same school,” she said. If her son gets admission in the school, she will have to pay fees.

In the dark

Responding to the problems, Block Education Officer (Mangalore North) C. Lokesh told The Hindu the department could not come to the aid of the students at this stage. “Four institutions in my block kept us in dark about the petition (in the High Court). They showed us the order two days before the day the draw of lots was scheduled,” he said.

Mr. Lokesh said parents did complain about the cancellation of the draw of lots. “But we are helpless. We asked them to apply in a routine manner.” He said the department had appraised top officials in Bangalore about the problem.