DLSA seeks report on quota compliance in private schools

Issues notice to Prakasam District Education Officer

Cause of students: Principal District Judge M.G. Priyadarshini hearing pleas on quota in private schools .

Taking a serious note of the way 25% quota in private schools is being implemented in Prakasam district, Principal District Judge and District Legal Services Authority Chairperson M.G. Priyadarshini has issued a notice to the District Education Officer in this regard.

Hearing a complaint from DLSA para-legal volunteer and HELP NGO programme officer B.V. Sagar and another complainant M. Suneel Kumar over private aided and unaided educational institutions not implementing the Supreme Court ruling on 25% quota, the judge sought a compliance report from the DEO by July 3, said DLSA secretary T. Raja Venkatadri here on Monday.

Copies of the notices were also sent to the district Collector, the Social Welfare Deputy Director and private schools.

The judge also asked the DEO to submit an action taken report (ATR) in the wake of an affidavit submitted by him last year over implementation of the Right to Education Act.

Private schools, barring minority institutions, as per law had to admit 25% children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups from their neighbourhoods for free education, NGO HELP director N.V.S. Rammohan explained, adding this was more honoured in the breach than in the observance.

Of the 25%, 10% seats were to be filled up with students belonging to SCs and 5% each to ST and OBC categories and 5% for orphaned children. The schools must also ensure that the intake seats were displayed on their notice boards, he said.