Supreme Court Judgement 'the axe on the much appreciated RTE Act'.
The recent order passed by the Supreme Court exempting the minority institutions from giving 25% seats for economically disadvantaged and compulsory medium of instruction Kannada in the primary level classes is to be viewed with a great vision and not with the law binding on it.
Giving exemption for minority institutions does not at all deserve. 50% of unaided and aided institutions are having the status of minority in this country. Almost all are run by Husband and Wife under the shade of the Indian Trust Act. More than 50% of the institutions are run by collecting heavy amount towards fees. They are all availing all tax relief and other facilities. How can they be exempted from giving 25% seats to the economically weaker children? The Supreme court with this order is endorsing that these economically weaker section children are not fit enough to sit with the children of the upper class society!
The much appreciated scheme implemented by the UPA government is being quashed by this order. Now the only institutions run by the management who are not coming under these minorities are only bound to do this. For that also the law will find some other loopholes to get exemption in the near future.
It is sure that this will be appreciated by all school managements because the operation during the previous years was in such a way that the government officials were using this only to collect bribe. The official’s in-charge for giving an income certificate will issue the same fearlessly for any amount as you desired – only depends on the bribe you offer. The Education Department officials had set a team for collection of bribe for bringing the name of the child in the list. Many of the School management stood as a silent witness. The real and genuine parents were running from school to BEO’s office and then pillar to pillar!
The application forms along with relevant income proof under RTE were submitted by the influential parents personally to the schools in their own Scorpio and Innova cars which clearly shows that they are well to do! In many places the school management has taken this as a chance to put their known children also in this list influencing the Education department staff!
That is the growth of RTE! But now the minority institutions are escaped!
There are religious and linguistic minorities! A trust comprising of Husband and wife is enough to get this status- either linguistic or religious!
In 1994 State government had made Kannada (or mother tongue) as compulsory in primary classes; ie up to fourth standard in the schools recognized by the State Government. This is the high time that we should analyze whether this was implemented sincerely or not? All schools aided or unaided continued teaching in English! Of course the parents were insisting to teach in English. The situation has been taken by the department of education only to collect bribe. They started collecting Rs.500/- on-words for giving an inspection report stating that the medium of instruction of this school is in Kannada!
We shall hopefully wait for a time :
· =Wherein a child in India gets the preliminary knowledge on their own language - the language of their heart- to have a basic knowledge in their life (To enable them to write a full sentence without mistakes in any language!)
· =Where in the School fees and syllabus and the language policy in India is fixed by the government of India to confirm that the running of a school is not to make money.
· =The government to think about giving free education at-least in the primary level by taking over the private schools and stopping the private agencies to continue this BUSINESS, upholding the fundamental right of a child to get the free education.
SK NAIR
