Pune: Displeased with the state government's January 16 notification — that allows schools to decide the "entry point" for students seeking admission under the Right to Education (RTE) Act — the RTE Action Committee will hold a protest at Central Building on February 9.
Under the Right to Education Act, every private unaided school must keep 25% seats at entry level reserved for students from the disadvantaged sections. However, the activists said some schools, despite having pre-primary sections, were admitting the RTE students only in Class I.
"Even schools that have pre-primary sections are showing Class I as the entry level for students from socially and economically backward sections. This is discrimination. It should be compulsory for a school to register whatever is the first level in the institution as the entry point," said Surekha Khare, a member of All India Samajwadi Teachers Samiti. Agreeing with her, S J Javadekar, of All India Samajwadi Teachers Sabha, said, "The government must also reimburse the fee for pre-primary classes."
The RTE Action Committee was formed by combining eight social organisations that work for the cause of education among the disadvantaged sections. The members said they will protest in front of the Primary Education Directorate at Central Building on February 9, and if no action is taken, they will protest again.
Of the 31 schools in the Yerwada area that have registered Class 1 as the entry point for RTE students, 22 have pre-primary classes. In Pune city area, two of three such schools have pre-primary classes. Yet they have shown Class 1 as the entry point. In Hadapsar, of the 23 schools which have registered Class 1 as the point of entry, 22 have pre-primary classes.
BOX
Division---Schools that gave Std I as entry point---Schools that showed nursery as entry point---Data not available---Schools with pre-primary classes---Schools starting from class I
Yerawada---42---31---8---3---22---9
Pune city---12---3---8---1---3---1
HAdapsar---42---26---14---2---22---4
Ambegaon---8---5---1---1---5---2
source: RTE action committee
