RTE: A work in progress A lack of clarity and persistent problems with implementation are preventing the Act from achieving its main objectives

RTE: A work in progress

A lack  of  clarity and persistent problems with implementation are preventing the Act from achieving its main objectives

MUMBAI: At Bhavan’s AH Wadia High School, Andheri, students in the nursery section engage in all their class activities together, from learning the alphabets to eating their snacks.

SATISH BATE/HTOf the 80 students in the nursery section at Bhavan’s AH Wadia School, Andheri, 20 have been admitted under the RTE’s 25% reservation clause.

This year, 20 children were admitted to the school’s nursery class under the 25% quota for the underprivileged under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

As per the Act, private unaided schools have to reserve 25% of their entry-level seats for students from families that have an annual income of less than Rs1 lakh and live within a radius of one kilometre from the school.

While the Andheri school had a positive story to share, principals, educationists and activists have been unanimous in claiming that problems outweighed the benefits in the implementation of the Act this year.

“At the beginning of the year, we were told to put up a notice inviting applications from students for the quota seats, but none showed up,” said Mallika Kotian, principal, MET Rishikul Vidyalaya, Bandra. “We don't mind filling the seats up, but if nobody approaches us, what are we to do?”

Avisha Kulkarni, who has been helping beneficiaries seek admissions under the 25% quota through her notfor-profit Desh Seva Samiti, said a lot more needs to be done.

“One of the biggest challenges was the lack of clarity about the Act,” said Kulkarni, who has helped 23 students get admission under the 25% quota in several schools in Goregaon. “Most parents were not aware of the benefits of the Act and did not know how to go about securing admission for their children,” she said.

Several parents also faced an ordeal during the admissions, with some complaining about screening processes — which the Act disallows. Goregaon resident Ahmed Sheikh, an autorickshaw driver, was relieved when his three-and-a-half-year-old son received admission to a neighbourhood English-medium school. But what followed deterred him from sending his son there.

“My wife and my son were called to the school after his admission process, and they were made to wait for four hours. When they finally met the school principal, my son was too tired and couldn’t answer the principal’s questions,” said Sheikh.

“The principal then made comments about how my son was not fit to study in the school, and how it was financially burdening other parents. We then decided not to admit him there,” said Sheikh, who now sends his son to another Goregaon school.

The objective of social integration is also a problem. “While the 25% rule has been implemented, no guidelines have been laid down on how to integrate children. More focus should have been given to implementation and the resulting issues,” said PC Chhabra, the principal of Delhi Public School, Nerul.

Another aspect of the Act that has come under harsh criticism is the nofail policy, which stipulates that no student be held back in any class or expelled from school till Class 8.

“I get up to two cases per week of psycho-traumatic stress among students from Class 9 and 10, and they often complain about tiredness, poor health and lack of appetite,” said Shilpa Sharma, counselling psychologist at St Francis D’Assissi High School, Borivli. “It also puts tremendous pressure on the teachers.”