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UP Government to follow RTE Act for admissions of EWS students
As per a HC directive, a Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) will now be entrusted with the responsibility to ensure admission of EWS students in the neighbouring private schools up to 25 % of that school’s strength, the limit set under the RTE Act.
It has taken 2 months for the Akhilesh Yadav government even after the Allahabad High Court’s directive to the UP state government to ensure that the state’s rules for admission of students belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) are in accordance with the principles of Right to Education Act.
As per the order dated May 11, 2016, a Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) will now be entrusted with the responsibility to ensure admission of EWS students in the neighbouring private schools up to 25 % of that school’s strength, the limit set under the RTE Act. The Act provides the student with an option to take an admission into a school of his or her own choice.
This directive completely turns the state government interpretation of the RTE Act on it’s head. Currently the state would admit the EWS students first in government-run schools and, once the student teacher ration of 30:1 was achieved then the BSAs would start hunting for seats in the neighbourhood private schools for remaining students.
Outlining a set admission procedure for the EWS students, the government has instructed BSAs that it would be their responsibility to invite applications from the parents before the start of the new academic session. Based on these applications, the BSAs has to compile a proposal considering the parents priorities. This compilation would then be submitted to the respective district magistrates (DM) whose decision would then be informed to the respective school as well as the parents.
Also, to adopt the best practices and to increase enrolments of EWS students in private schools across UP, the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department is planning to send a team to Delhi to study the model used there.
“Last year, we were able to enrol about 4,500 EWS students into privates schools across the state, We are targeting enrolment of about 15,000 to 20,000 students this year. While BSAs have been asked to follow the instruction, we have decided to study the Delhi model as well,” said Ajay Kumar Singh, secretary, Basic Education Department.