After virtually bringing the Delhi government down on its knees on the issue of nursery admissions by getting a free hand on deciding the criteria, various organisations of the private schools have now decided to take on the government on the issue of providing free education to the students from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). The private school organisations have threatened that they would shut down the schools rather than bear the entire burden of EWS students.
However, the Delhi government warned of strong punitive action against the schools if they violated the norms as mandated under the Right to Education Act.
It is to be noted that the government has already agreed to bear some share of the burden that would come upon the schools for giving free education to EWS students.
Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said: “We will take very strong punitive action against those schools which do not provide 25 per cent of their total seats to children from EWS.”
The minister was reacting to the reports about various organisations of private schools declaring that they would not give free admission to EWS students. They had even threatened to shut down the schools.
In a meeting held on Wednesday, the Delhi State Public Schools’ Manage-ment Association, Federation of Minority Schools, Form of Quality Education, Coordination Committee of Public Schools, Council of Public Schools, Trans Yamuna Public Schools’ Federation jointly took this decision. They also said they will not give free books, uniform, shoes to the students.
“We cannot run the schools with the present fee structure and an imposed burden of 25 per cent freeship quota. Either we should be allowed to raise the fee or the EWS quota should be struck,” said president of Delhi State Public Management Association.
“In case we increase the fee. it would be unjustified for the parents of general category. Why should they bear burden of education of someone else’s children. Not all the schools are built on donated lands.” he further said.
“If this be the state of affairs, we will shut down the schools for an indefinite period,” he said.
He blamed the government for using RTE Act as tool of vote bank politics which would not generate good for the society.