The news that a school in Bangalore snipped the hair of students admitted under the 25 per cent quota stipulated by the Right to Education Act to distinguish them from others was shocking. But it was predictable because the reluctance of private schools to admit children from the disadvantaged sections was well known. There is no point in demanding action against them because, as the saying goes, it is hard to wake up one who is not asleep. The government should start schools for the poor if it is really concerned about education. That will make more sense than forcing unaided schools to reserve 25 per cent seats for the economically backward.
D. Kaikho,
Chennai
A strong implementation mechanism with active vigilance is what we need. The shameful incident challenges the Prime Minister’s guarantee of education under the RTE Act. The school management and individuals responsible for such heinous acts should be given stringent punishment.
The so-called elite schools must understand the compulsions of the underprivileged children who need to get educated. Universalisation of education alone will lead to an egalitarian society.
B.P. Srikanth Kalyan,
Anantapur
The Supreme Court verdict upholding the constitutional validity of the RTE Act offered a ray of hope to the children of disadvantaged groups. Unfortunately, many private schools are against the 25 per cent quota. They feel it is the responsibility of the state, not private schools, to provide free and compulsory education to children.
Although many schools have implemented the 25 per cent quota, teachers and children of non-reserved categories do not seem to accommodate them wholeheartedly. As a result, children from the poorer sections are the sufferers, thanks to the lack of consensus between private schools and the government.
P.K. Sahu,
Narnaul
The RTE Act is welcome and needs to be implemented, notwithstanding resistance from private schools. But enacting a law is not the most important thing in this regard. If the government wants underprivileged children to go to schools, it should try to uplift the quality of their life at home. I knew a student who came to school only to get his monthly government stipend. When I asked him why he was not attending classes, he told me that poverty at home was what he was most worried about.
V.P. Sreenivasan,
Bangalore
Schools are opened to impart education and good values. But the hair-snipping incident in Bangalore shows how educational institutions have turned into business ventures.
Prasanthine Raj,
Srivilliputtur
I was shocked not so much at the economic discrimination but because it happened in an educational institution. The government may make all efforts to make every child an erudite citizen but the Bangalore incident shows the attitude of private educational institutions.
N. Dinesh Swamy Prasanna,
Chennai
