The Haryana government has omitted Section 134A of the school education rules providing 10% reservation to meritorious students from economically weaker section in recognised private schools, a March 28 school education department notification said.
Instead, the state government will now provide 25% reservation in unaided schools for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups and provide free and compulsory elementary education till its completion under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, officials said.
The amendment in the Haryana School Education Rules to omit 134A will also weaken the litigation by private schools, who went to the courts seeking reimbursement of expenses incurred by them on per student admitted under 134A from the state government.
Education officials said the state government will now implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, a central law which should have been implemented since 2009 but was not.
As per the Act, the schools providing free and compulsory elementary education will be reimbursed the expenditure so incurred by it to the extent of per-child-expenditure incurred by the state or the actual amount charged from the child, whichever is less.
However, where schools are already under obligation to provide free education to a specified number of children on account of it having received any land, building, equipment or other facilities, either free of cost or at a concessional rate, such schools will not be entitled for reimbursement to the extent of such obligation.
Reacting to the development, National Independent Schools’ Alliance president Kulbhushan Sharma said they were never against Section 134A but their concerns were about the reimbursement process.
“The state government cannot escape from clearing the outstanding reimbursement amount to the schools even after omitting Section 134A,” Sharma said.
WHAT IT MEANS
Section 134A provided 10% reservation to meritorious students from economically weaker section in recognised private schools
The state will now provide 25% reservation in unaided schools for poor and disadvantaged children Will provide free and compulsory elementary education under the RTE Act
The amendment will weaken the litigation by private schools regarding reimbursement of per-child expenses.
source: Hindustan times
