Child rights panel issues summons to school

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Tuesday issued summons to a school in Manimajra following TOI's report highlighting the fact that various schools in Chandigarh and Panchkula were violating RTE Act by mentioning on their websites that admissions will be based on screening. The school has been asked to meet the commission on Wednesday. The officials from UT education Department have also been called.
After TOI had reported about schools violating Section 13 of Right to Education Act by resorting to assessment, entrance test and interactions for admission to classes I to VIII, two schools, including the one in Manimajra, removed the word assessment and admission test from their admission guidelines. Sources said the school changed its admission process, which proves them at fault. They removed the word assessment, but still have stated that the admission will be based on interaction which too means screening.

Advocate Ajay Jagga said, "The RTE Act in its Section 13 has prohibited the schools from subjecting the child/parents/guardian to 'any screening procedure' for admitting the child in school. A bare perusal of the Act reveals that the law has not only mentioned the word 'screening' but used the words 'any screening procedure' which debars the schools from opting for any methods, visible or hidden; which are used for evaluating or assessing the suitability for admission."

The other school in Sector 9, Panchkula, too following the report, changed the admission notice on their website, and removed the lines mentioning about admission test.

The new guideline simply and quite categorically reads, "On payment of the prescribed fee the candidate will be registered. They will be given a registration form. Parents/guardians of the successful candidates will be required to submit transfer certificate in original, copy of birth certificate, copy of report card of previous class, copy of Aadhaar card of the candidate, copy of residence proof, two photographs of the candidate and pay the prescribed fee. "