Reservation for poor in private schools to be mandatory

It will soon be mandatory for private schools to reserve 25-per cent of seats for children of poor families and violation of this law would be punishable, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal said on Monday.

"We will not budge an inch from this mandatory provision in the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, as we want to give opportunity to all poor children to study in private schools," Sibal told reporters in Bangalore, after delivering the Vithal Chandavarkar memorial lecture at the Indian Institute of Science.

The government enforced the RTE Act on 1 April 2010 to ensure free and compulsory education to all children between six and 14 years, including those below the poverty line.

Though several private schools expressed concerns over the quota, failure to implement the provision in the next three years will be punishable once the amendment bill to the act is passed by parliament. "If private schools do not comply with the provision, they will not be allowed to function, as it will be difficult to achieve the goal of inclusive education otherwise," Sibal said on the margins of a function here.

The national commission for protection of child rights has been mandated to monitor the implementation of the act, while a special division will undertake the task. "All private schools will have to apply for recognition, failing which they will be penalised up to Rs 100,000. If they still continue to function without paying penalty, they will be liable to pay Rs 10,000 per day as fine," Sibal said.

The commission will also set up a toll free helpline to register complaints against schools violating the provisions of the RTE Act.