With the State government deciding to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2012, children from weaker sections and disadvantaged communities can avail of RTE quota in private schools only if there are no government schools in their neighbourhood. This move may have opened the doors to private schools for students in 86 wards in the State.
According to data collated by the Department of Public Instruction, 86 of the total 684 corporation wards across the State do not have government schools. This essentially means that students are eligible to get admission into private schools in only these wards. The 86 wards are located in 10 urban local bodies and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits.
But, officials in the department pointed out that if a ward does not have a government school, it is also likely to not have a private school nearby. “We have to check if people are residing in these areas,” an official added.
Experts also expect that government schools may see an increase in enrolments as the State government plans to introduce English medium in 1,000 government schools. “The reason there is demand for RTE quota among the people of low socio-economic classes is because they offer English-medium education. With this door now being closed, the government hopes that parents will make a beeline to government schools that offer English-medium education,” said Nagasimha G. Rao, convener of the RTE task force.
B.N. Yogananda, general secretary of the RTE Students and Parents’ Association, said they would take the legal route. “The RTE Act clearly mandates that private schools should admit at least 25% students from weaker and disadvantaged sections. How can the State government tweak the rules and abolish this reservation?” he said.
Incidentally, data by the Ministry of Human Resource Development shows that of 49,883 government schools in Karnataka, 43,629 schools are in rural areas. The number of government schools in urban areas are limited and officials said that government schools in urban areas may not have the capacity to provide education to all students living nearby.
