Violation of RTE: Private Education Institutions must comply Himachal Government

Unending lust for money, number of private Education Institutions in the state are violating Right to Education Act as they are not admitting students from economic weaker and deprived sections of society. State government now issued directions to its officers for strict compliance of RTE norms. Government has directed has all the private Institutions  for filling 25 percent reserved seats to such students who could not afford the costly Education. Secretary Education, Dr. Abhishek Jain while chairing a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss in length the provisions of the Right to Education Act here on Monday stated that Education department is ensuring strict compliance of the instructions of the state government to provide inclusive, equal and quality education to all the children and the department is successfully implementing universalization of education in the state. He stated that Act provides the right to free and compulsory elementary education to children in the age group of 6-14 years so that no child is deprived of it. As per the Act, the private schools should ensure filling of 25 percent reserved seats for children from economically weak and deprived sections of the society and people should also be made aware of it, he said.

The secretary also sought information about the current academic session fee waive-off, of those children, who have lost both their parents or were dependent on single parent because of COVID pandemic. Private schools were also informed about the compliance of the instructions for waiving off the fee for such children. Directions were issued to the schools to regularly organize parent teachers meetings besides, meetings of various school committees formulated for road safety, anti drug etc. He directed that meetings should also be conducted at regular intervals to ensure physical, mental and moral well being of the students, said he, adding that the schools should also evolve innovative strategies to make students aware of the ill-effects of drugs.

Director Higher Education, Dr. Amarjit Sharma, Director Elementary Education, Ghanshyam Sharma, Principals of various private schools and their representatives also participated in the meeting. It is worthwhile to mention that powerful private school management hardly bother to such direction being given by the Government.