25% RTE reservation rule sees shoddy performance in schools

Sumita Sarkar, TNN Aug 21, 2012, 03.57AM IST

NASHIK: The state's mandatory rule of 25% admission reservation for economically backward students in schools, under the Right to Education Act (RTE) has failed to garner satisfactory results. Education department officials have claimed that the poor implementation is due to a delay in receiving the notice. According to the Supreme Court's (SC) orders all schools, with the exception of unaided minority institutes, will have to reserve 25% of entry-level school admission seats with free and compulsory education for economically weaker section (EWS) and socially disadvantaged group (SDG) students in the age group of 6-14 years under the RTE Act."We informed the schools in June but none has been able to fill the stipulated target of 25%students," said education officer of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nitin Upasani. "We had advertised the RTE requirement in June in newspapers announcing that the 25% reservation rule was applicable in government, local authority schools and private schools ," said Upasani.He said that parents of students wanting to avail of the reservation were informed to give an application form to the NMC education department and one copy of the application to the school, but the department did not receive any applications. "Six schools in the city have admitted students of economically weaker sections this year," he said.School authorities of St Francis High School said that they have also tried to admit students of economically weaker and socially disadvantages sections even though the rule is not applicable to the school since it is a minority-run school. Father Diego Nunes, principal of Don Bosco School which has admitted the maximum number of EWS students in the city said that though they have not been able to reach the 25% target, they have tried their best."The rule was declared in December and we were notified about implementing it in June. School admissions begin in February-March. Next year, the picture will be better. In December, we will put up an advertisement in the newspapers through the government," said Upasani.