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Nagpur: Recently CBSE has cancelled the affiliation of six schools from Bangalore and Mysore in Karnataka for forging documents to put an exemption from the provisions of RTI act. Now sources said that similar malpractice is being adopted by many CBSE schools in Nagpur to do away with the provisions of Right To Education (RTE). Atleast the number of vacant seats under RTE in Nagpur division clearly hints at the goof up.
A report published in a leading daily figured out that an astounding 44% seats in Nagpur division schools under the free Right to Education (RTE) Act quota remain vacant this year even after multiple rounds for admission.
The six districts under Nagpur division have put up a dismal RTE performance going by the latest data, with only Nagpur city offering some face-saving solace with 27.21% seats remaining vacant. Gadchiroli district fared the worst with 84.82% vacant seats. It is suspicious that of the total 12,390 RTE seats available in the district, only 6,984 have been filled.
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Thursday 19 Dec. 2024
Education deptt sings the other way…
Education officials feel that the reason seats are remaining vacant is because parents want the free admission only in select schools. The officer, who did not want to be named considering his top bosses from Pune are arriving in Nagpur for a two-day seminar, said, “The entire rush and aggressive stance taken by parents is only for a few CBSE and state board schools. If they do not get admission there then they’ll go for a government-aided school.” Education activists feel that all these seats can be filled if only a proper process is followed.
Transparency is need of the hour
Shahid Sharif, chairman of an NGO RTE Action Committee said, “Currently we are holding a completely online lottery system. I understand that having an online interface is crucial if one needs to have transparency. However, after the second or third rounds all vacant seats should be filled up manually. Government guidelines clarify that admission lottery needs to continue till all seats are filled. The question, however, is why follow the lottery system when availability of seats is much more than admission seekers.” Another issue needs to be looked into is the role of advisory committee, Sharif said adding, “An advisory committee has been constituted, but it hardly meets. There should be frequent discussions on how to take the RTE admission process forward without which there cannot be proper feedback.”
He also added that going online was not a wise decision. “First, they (authorities) said that schools only in urban areas will see online admissions but now everyone is included. In rural areas, there is hardly any comfort level of people with the online world. Remember we are talking about a poor farmer or a daily wage labourer. These are the people who actually require, and qualify, for free admissions,” said Sharif.
