The State Platform for Common School System - Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), on Wednesday, has urged the State government to provide education under the Right to Education Act, through government or government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu. They also said that the State should not reimburse the fee to parents, if they chose a private institution over the government schools present in the area.
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In a letter to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin it said, “The real RTE can be secured only through government schools and the child cannot be ensured Right to Freedom of Life with dignity through a private management or philanthropic efforts.” The forum urged the government to take appropriate measures to ensure equitable access to quality education for all children, by admitting them in government or government-aided institutions.
Stating that admission under the RTE is meaningless without the nutritious mid-day meal, the letter said, “The mid-day meal, uniform and other rights that the child admitted to government institution is able to enjoy is denied to the child admitted in a private institution.”
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Further the forum also demanded that the State government should declare every government and government-aided school as a neighbourhood school and ensure all children are admitted in them.
“Parents unwilling to accept the facilities provided by the government and wishing to admit their child in any non-government or government-aided school is doing a great injustice. Section 8 of the RTE Act, 2009 makes it clear that such a parent cannot claim reimbursement of the fee,” the letter added.
Citing the National Policy on Education 1968 for accepting the recommendation of a Common School System of public education, SPCSS-TN said, “It would ensure access to education will depend on talent, open to all children irrespective of social, economic and other differences and no tuition fee would be charged.” It also added that the average parent would not ordinarily feel the need to send their children to expensive schools outside the system.
The letter said, among the main reasons why the common school system has not gained ground, were economic disparity, poor quality education in government schools and lack of political will.
SPCSS-TN recommended five methods to improve the current education system. The recommendations included increase in outlay for elementary education; special allocation to improve school system in backward areas such as urban slums, tribal areas and phased implementation of the Common School System within a 10-year time.