A high level team from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) recently chaired a meeting with school education department to discuss the applicability of Right to Education Act (RTE) Act in private schools.According to wire service –Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the MHRD team informed the department that the implementation of RTE Act to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will pave way for reservation quota for poor family in private schools. As per the Act, the private schools have to keep 25 percent quota in admission for students from economically weaker sections (EWS).“The RTE Act 2010 became applicable to the Jammu and Kashmir after the decision of the Government of India (GoI) to abrogate the Article 370 and 35 (A) and splitting of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate union territory,” an official of school education department told KNO.The official said the provision was not applicable for Jammu and Kashmir due to which the private schools particularly schools would deny admissions to students belonging to weaker sections.“But after splitting of Jammu and Kashmir in to a union territory, the RTE Act 2010 will be implemented in private schools. The reserved quota will be 25 percent of the total intake capacity at the time of admissions in kindergarten classes,” the official told KNO.He said as per previous Act, it was compulsory for every child in Jammu and Kashmir to access to education. “As per the previous Act, parents were supposed to get punishment for not enrolling their kids in schools. But now the RTE Act will be applicable in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. The official informed that on an average around 20000 students will be benefitted every year by getting free admissions in private schools.“Most of the private schools have divided one class into four or five different sections with around 50 to 60 students in each section. Approximately around one lakh students are enrolled in kindergarten sections of private schools,” the official told KNO.He said the department will soon prepare the modalities to get the RTE Act implemented in private schools for the benefit of people living in EWS.
The official said the MHRD team held three meetings from past week with officials of the school education department and discussed the applicability of new laws in education department. The education department is likely to get a huge package in education sector. The package will help the department to make government schools at par with private schools. (KNO)