Right to Education Act: Students in a quandary

Around 70 students, admitted to a private school at Holenarsipur under the Right to Education Act, are in a quandary. After Rishishree Vidyaniketana School, where they were admitted, shifted to a new locality, it lost the eligibility for fee reimbursement against RTE students. Now, it has asked them to pay the fee.

The school, earlier on Jain Street, has received admissions under RTE since 2012-13. All these years, it functioned from a rented building with no playground or toilets. Recently, it shifted to its own building at Ichanahalli about 2 km from the town.

As per the Act, once the school shifts locality it becomes a new school. Suresh Guruji, secretary, school management, told The Hindu, “We had to shift as the old building was insufficient. It was a rented building. There were no toilets for children.”

The school had written to the Commissioner of Public Instruction to continue the RTE benefits. However, the Act does not support that.

The parents submitted a memorandum to the Block Education Officer, Deputy Director of Public Instruction and other senior officers. They staged a protest in Holenarsipur on Wednesday as well. They demanded that the government continue the benefit and blamed the school for the problem. The protesters alleged that the school was demanding up to ₹40,000 as fee.

The school management held meetings with the parents to convince them. “We have offered them a fee concession. The school has not done anything wrong. The decision we took was in the interest of students,” Mr. Suresh said. He also maintained that the school was shifted with permission from the department.

Senior department officers suggested that the school management offer fee concessions as there was no remedy from the government.

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