June 1, 2015

Dear All,

Sub:     Progress in RTE 25% Admissions for Poor Students in Private Schools- Government of Telangana Issues Orders- Struggle of JAC for Total Implementation to Continue

After a struggle of over 2 years by the JAC (Joint Action Committee) for Implementation of 25% Free Admissions for Poor Students in Private schools- comprising of COVA, DBSU, Divya Disha, MAHITA, MSI, MVF, People's Alliance for Child Rights, UFERWAS and filing of a Writ Petition on 23rd March 2015 in the High Court of Hyderabad, the Director School Education, Telangana State issued a letter to the Regional Joint Director, School Education, Hyderabad and Warangal directing  to take action to provide 25% free admission to the children of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections from next academic year 2015-16.

The members of JAC and representatives of different political parties including CPI, CPM, Congress, Lok Satta. AAP and other addressed a Press Conference in Hyderabad on 1st June 2015 and announced that they would launch a public awareness campaign to enable poor parents to apply for free admissions to private schools as per Rules and if any are denied admissions they would approach the government and the court for redress and proper implementation of the  RTE Act 2009.  Press Note is appended below.

Joint Action Committee for Implementation of Model RTE Rules in Telangana State

JAC Secretariat: COVA, # 18-13-8/A/508/B, Bandlaguda, Hyderabad 500 005

Phone :+91-40- 24442984,  Mobile:9346238430 E-mail :  covanetwork@gmail.com

June 1, 2015

PRESS NOTE

Parliament of India enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (Act No.35 of 2009) to provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years and the Act was to come in force from 01.04.2010. One of the key provisions of the Act is Provision of 25% Free Admissions to children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in all non- minority private schools in the country and the State Governments to compensate the private schools with an annual fee.

Despite many orders and directives from the Central government including the Supreme Court of India in its Judgment delivered on 6th May 2014, not a single child from the Economically Weaker Sections has been admitted to private schools in Telangana of Andhra Pradesh as per Sec 12 (1)(c) of RTE Act 2009.

Many States have implemented 25% Free Admission Rule to some extent except Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Overview of Implementation of RTE 25% Free Admissions in Private Schools in different states is given in the table below:

Information compiled from media articles, websites and other sources: http://www.25percent.in/

Since 2013 the Joint Action Committee has been actively campaigning to inform general public of the provisions of the RTE Act and had been lobbying with the government for implementation of 25% free admissions under the Act.  JAC with the support of political parties organised Roundtable Meetings and submitted representations and Model RTE Rules to all concerned from the President of India to the District Education Officer. COVA, the Secretariat of JAC in association with other members of JAC filed a Writ Petitions in the honorable High Court of AP in on 23rd March 2015 with a prayer to direct the Telangana State Government to ensure implementation of sec 12 (1) (c) of RTE Act 2009 stipulating at least 25% free admissions to children from EWS in private schools in the State at least from the Academic Year 2015-16 commencing from June 2105.

As  a result of  these  efforts  the  Director School Education, Telangana State issued a letter received by JAC on 15th May 2015 to the Regional Joint Director, School Education, Hyderabad  and Warangal,  under intimation to the Principal Secretary to Government  Education (SE) Department, Government of Telangana and COVA  requesting to take action to provide 25% free admission to the children of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections from next academic year 2015-16 as per rules in force and submit report in the matter at an early date (copy enclosed).

Now we demand:

1. Total number of  private schools, including those offering the CBSE and ICSE syllabi  in the State must be identified/ notified and should be asked to reserve the seats, conduct admissions and submit a compliance report to the education department within three months of the commencement of the academic year.2015-16.
2. Government shall make all efforts (like large scale publicity, house to house survey, ) to identify the children belonging to disadvantaged groups and weaker sections in the neighbourhood to ensure their admissions into private schools as stipulated.
3. Facilitate parents of the deserving children to fill application forms and ensure that the schools accept all completed forms and issue proper acknowledgement receipts.
4. In case sufficient numbers of children are not available within 1 k. m. in spite of all the efforts and Admission Committee is satisfied, then the school shall try to identify children from the extended neighborhood (up to 3 k. m.). In any case seats meant for the children from disadvantaged group and weaker section remain vacant, they should not be diverted to general candidate.
5. Schools shall ensure that the entire process of admission is transparent, unbiased, fair and equitable and should be conducted under the supervision of a government official not lower than the rank of the Vice- principal as is being done in other states.
6. Entry level  age criteria for  1st std  should be  5 years,  for pre-primary 4 yrs and for  play group 3 years
7. The Act should be amended with provision of penal action against private schools if they fail to reserve the requisite seats, steps should be taken to withdraw recognition to offending schools.
8. Government should make sufficient financial allocation and as per Section 12 (2) of the RTE Act, and should reimburse the expenditure incurred by private schools for admitting students free of cost.

Representatives of JAC  

Azeez Pasha,      Thammineni Veerabhadram        Kodandram,            Mazher Hussain,

Former MP          State Gen Secretary CPM            TJAC                        COVA

Amjedullah Khan,                  D. Ramu,                   Srisailam,                Philips Isidore

Ex-Corporator, MBT              Lok Satta                   AAP                          Divya Disha

Ramesh Reddy                      Swaroop                 B.Venkat Swamy          B.T.Srinivasan

People's Alliance                  MAHITA               MVF                                 U-FERWAS

for Child Rights

Bro. Francis                           Christine Lazares    V. Sandhya

MSI                                        Former MLA           POW