Government to foot bill for poor pupils’ private education

Does the RTE apply to the whole country? The RTE applies to all parts of India except for Jammu and Kashmir.

Are schools belonging to all boards, including international boards, bound to follow the RTE?

Yes. The Act applies to all schools except unaided minority institutions.

What age group does RTE apply to? The RTE applies to children from the ages 6 to 14. This translates to Class I to Class VIII. RTE talks of 25% reservation for children from disadvantaged groups and economically weaker sections of society in private schools.

Does this refer to all schools in the country or are there any exceptions? This clause refers to all private aided and unaided day schools. The only schools exempt from this clause are residential (boarding) schools and private unaided minority institutions. If a school has both day scholars and those in residence, the 25% reservation will apply to day scholars only.

Does the government pay private unaided schools for taking in poor children ? The government will reimburse private schools at the cost of educating a child in a government school or the actual fee charged by the private school, whichever is less. The actual fee is most likely to be more than the cost of a government school.

Can schools hold separate classes for disadvantaged groups and economically weaker sections or will they have to be integrated in the same classroom as the rest of the children? No, the school cannot hold separate classes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds . Children from varied backgrounds and abilities are expected to study in a shared environment. One of the reasons for fixing the reservation for children from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups at 25% was so that they make up a significant number of the total number of children.

Will schools be allowed to fail a child for a year, or expel a child? No school can hold back a child in class or expel a child from Classes I to VIII. This does not mean that children should not be evaluated at all, but argues for a process of continuous and comprehensive evaluation, under which examinations can be held at various points of time. However , the Act prevents schools from conducting board exams from Classes I-VIII . As for expelling a child from school, this implies that the education system has refused to serve the child. In the context of elementary education being a fundamental right, the concept of expulsion is not compatible with a 'right,' believes the RTE.

What does the RTE have to say on capitation fee and screening processes (interviews )? The RTE bans schools from collecting capitation fee or conducting interviews in order to select children to school. A school that accepts capitation fee can be fined ten times the amount of capitation fee received. A school that conducts a screening procedure for children can be fined Rs 25,000 the first time round and Rs 50,000 on each subsequent occasion.

The RTE says that the government must provide a school in each neighbourhood . Does this mean that a child cannot go to a school outside her neighbourhood ? While the RTE puts the onus of providing a school in each neighbourhood on the government, it does not prevent a child from one neighbourhood from studying in another, if she so desires.

Can a child be admitted to school if she does not have a birth-certificate to prove her age? No child shall be denied admission for lack of age proof.

Are teachers allowed to conduct private tuitions? The RTE says that no teacher can either take private tuitions or engage in any private teaching activity.