Thousands of students who were directly admitted to class I in private schools in the city, or promoted from the nursery class, may be forced to vacate their seats or directed to adjust to the increased class room strength following the state government's direction to all private schools to keep 25 per cent of seats in class I vacant to implement the Right to Education provisions from the academic year 2012-13.
The state has also directed chief executive officers of all zilla panchayats to finalise the list of neighbourhood schools before May 6 to start the admission process. According to the latest circular issued by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), all schools are directed to keep 25 per cent of seats in class I for students from poor and deprived families. The order stipulates that even if schools have completed the admission process for class I, they can release the names of only 75 per cent of total intake. Schools having nursery classes were also directed to leave a quarter of the seats unfilled. DPI has informed that it will fill up these seats on its own.
The circular will force out many students already enrolled for class I. Speaking to this newspaper, Ms Indumathi H. S., a parent, said the DPI order is shocking news for all parents. “Most of the schools have completed the admission process. If schools are forced to drop students, the students will have to settle for a poor school. If government is serious about the interests of the all students, it should have issued notification well in advance,” she said. School managements in the city are in a quandary, unsure of how to deal with this situation.
The principal of a prestigious school of South Bengaluru summed it up when he said: “We finished our admission process in March. Now we can’t tell children to leave school. On the other hand it is our responsibility to implement RTE. This means we have to accommodate a few more students in our class room. We are simply clueless how to go ahead.”
Education Minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has made it clear that government has already issued direction to all the schools to delay the admission process. “It is natural that in the first year of implementation there will be some confusion. But we will solve the problems of all. There is no question of postponing the implementation of RTE,” he said.