Nagpur: While the ‘Right To Education Act’ has been a boon to the poor parents, it has become a bone of contention to the founders, owners, trustees or heads of various English Medium and Private Schools in Maharashtra.
In a press meet held by Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA), Founder President of MESTA Sanjayrao Tayade Patil said that a meeting was held with 20 District Presidents of MESTA and Maharashtra State Minister for Primary, Higher and Technical Education Vinod Tawde which lasted for two hours, MESTA had made around 9 demands.
Entry point
Founder President Sanjayrao Tayade Patil said that while some schools have facilities to intake children from Nursery and continues the students till tenth standard, while some others have facility to start from first standard only.
Maharashtra State Minister for primary, higher and technical education Vinod Tawde has agreed to the demand of MESTA that no school affiliated to it will give admissions to pre-primary classes under 25% reservation of RTE.
MESTA was set up to provide justice on various issues arising from RTE for Schools across Maharashtra. The demands that were agreed upon by Maharashtra State Minister for Primary, Higher and Technical Education Vinod Tawde are as follows:
- The names of the schools giving admissions under RTE since past three years should be made public.
- The admissions to pre-middle classes should not be made compulsory under 25% reservations.
- The Act that enforces schools from failing any student up to class VIIIth should be amended.
The reimbursement of fees being made by Government for free education of the 25% students under RTE should be paid in accordance with the approved school fees by PTA. At present the Government has agreed to pay Rs 12,300/- for 2012-13, Rs 14, 600/- for 2013-14 and Rs 13,400/- for 2014-15.
However, the Minister has assured that a decision on the demand will be taken up within 15 days.
The other demands were
- The Transfer Certificate of the previous school should be made compulsory for admissions in new schools.
- The Morchas and Protests should be banned from entering the school premises in order to spare students and teachers from mental agony and tension.
- The School Building should not be levied taxes at commercial rates. Similary concession should be given in general taxes, cleanliness tax and education tax.
- The buildings where schools are being run should not be levied electricity charges as per commercial rates.
- English Medium schools must be given nutrient supplements (mid-day meals) like other schools.
- All text-books should be given free of costs to English medium schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
- The condition of one or two acres of land should be eased for new schools coming under self aid basis (non-aided).
- English Medium schools must be given permission for shifting their buildings. At present, the schools have to maintain their first address even if they shift to a newer location. This condition should be removed.
Founder President Sanjayrao Tayade Patil claimed that they are organizing meetings at various places in Maharashtra. Almost all places and cities are covered except Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and some cities of Konkan. The Minister has assured to remove the discrepancies and make the use of RTE Act a smooth and mutually beneficial one.
However, after the State Minister for Primary, Higher and Technical Education Vinod Tawde approved the demand that no school affiliated to it will give admissions to pre-primary classes under 25% reservation of RTE, what will happen to those parents and children who have been informed of their admission into various nursery schools under RTE.
