RTE News Uodates from Other Sources

Maharashtra Makes Rules on 25% agenda;  CRY seeks improvement in quality of government schools; Delhi asks Madarsas to improve; Welfare Party against RTE; Reimbursement formula still unclear in Delhi

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1. 

Maha Govt Makes Rule for 25% seats for poor in Private Schools

 

Mumbai,Sep 14 (PTI) Maharashtra Government has made it mandatory for the private schools to allot 25 per cent of seats to students belonging to deprived and weaker sections of the society.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting today that the reservation will be for socially and economically deprived sections.
The decision was taken at the meeting, wherein ''The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2011'' were framed.
He also said primary education will now be defined as from standard first to the eighth.

2. 

CRY calls for improving quality of government schools

Mumbai, Sep 15 (PTI) Welcoming the decision of the Maharashtra government to frame the 'The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2011', the child rights NGO CRY today said that there was also a need to improve quality of government schools. "The passing of the act by the state government is a good move but one will have to address the need to expand and improve government schools," CRY's Regional Director Kreeanne Rabadi said. "The most developed countries like the UK and the US base their children's education on free public schools. If everyone in India is to receive education, it has to be offered, it as an entitlement, a right, via free government schools," Rabadi said. "With the right investments, accountability and quality parameters, government schools can be made good institutes for learning," she said. Yesterday Maharashtra government made rules under Right to Education Act and made it mandatory for the private schools to allot 25 per cent of seats to students belonging to the deprived and weaker sections of the society.

 3.   

Sheila Dikshit asks minority communities to focus on modern education Sep 15, 2011

Seeking reform in Madrasas, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today called upon minority communities to focus on modern education and exhorted them to take optimum benefit of the Right to Education Act. Describing the RTE as a major initiative of the UPA government to bring about reform in the education sector, Dikshit said "Union Government has enacted this unique legislation to eliminate illiteracy from the country and spread the light of knowledge. The minorities must avail optimum benefit from the RTE," she said speaking at a workshop on minority education. "The Madarsas need to be upgraded further. Every family should come forward to get their children educated and make them skilled as the world today is competitive," she said. She said there will no dearth of funds for expansion of education programmes in minority dominated areas. 4.  CCS Study  on RTE New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Private schools are admitting 25 percent children from disadvantaged sections of the society under the Right to Education (RTE) Act but are apprehensive about receiving reimbursement from the government, a study says. The study was conducted in north and northeast Delhi by the CCS revealed Forty-seven percent poor parents pay for getting their wards admitted in high-budget schools, the study stated. ‘‘The act is not a freebie for children from downtrodden sections of the society but it is an act to bring diversity in the class rooms,’ said Kiran Bhatty, the head of Right To Education division at the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

 5.

WELFARE PARTY DENOUNCES RTE, URGES GOVT. TO WITHDRAW IT

   

The Right to Education Act says that every boy/girl of age between 6-14 has right to education and shall have to get education in the government recognized schools only and if any student found taking education in non-recognized schools shall be treated as culprit. Not only the student but his/her parents and those schools too shall be treated as culprits. This seems a draconian Act.

Welfare Party of India has put the following questions before Human Resource Development Minister Mr. Kapil Sibbal: 1. Are there sufficient number of government recognized schools and have sufficient capacity to provide education for 40,000,000 students (of age between 6-14 )? 2.  How many schools are there in number and what is the capacity of each school? 3. How many schools are opened by Central government and how many by state governments  and where the buildings are? 4. The central government takes Education Cess Tax. Where does the government has opened the schools and how many in number? 5. Is it not incumbent upon the government to provide free education to the entire children of the country?

“No doubt, education must be compulsory and free to each and every child born in India. Every child born in India deserves it but we regret to say that even after 63 years of independence this dream does not seem to be true whereas it is the duty of a state. Although, the country has done remarkable progress in the field of Science, Technology, Defense and Economy but 100% literacy could not be achieved. A majority of people are still illiterate. Definitely HRD minister has no answer to these thorny questions,” said Dr. S.Q.R. Ilyas, Secretary General of the party in statement.

“As regard to Madrasas, these are the only institutions which produce citizens of high moral values. So, HRD minister should keep them run according to their own systems and syllabus. Of course, Welfare Party of India favours to introduce Mathematics, Science and Technology also along with Islamic syllabus without any pre-condition and interference of the government,” the statement added.   

The WPI leader said that by insisting such an act by HRD minister, the UPA government wants to keep 40,0000000  children uneducated so that they may not be able to decide the fate of the country. “They should become just a blind vote bank.” The Party has also decided to bring this matter to the people of the nation and shall drive a nationwide campaign against this mischievous act to get it withdrawn.