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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Delhi school slams door on boy, RTE mocked by Manash Pratim Gohain

Delhi school slams door on boy, RTE mocked by Manash Pratim Gohain

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published Published on Jul 29, 2011   modified Modified on Jul 29, 2011
In the past six months, five-year-old Shivam has learnt a useful lesson, that perseverance is a great leveller - of shoes. Shivam is both the means and the end of his father's dream to give him a good life. Masseur Prem Pal Singh, 37, who left his UP hometown years ago, has seen enough of Dakshinpuri's poor lanes, and been pushed around often enough to know the value of education, a white-collar job and 'security', all of which he wants his son to have.

When the government-run Sarvodaya Vidyalaya Co-ed School opened in Ambedkar Nagar early this year, Singh thought he had found the ticket to his son's bright future. Shivam was enrolled in a private junior school with high fees and iffy teaching at the time. Starting in February, Singh made it his mission to get Shivam enrolled in the Vidyalaya. Father and son made numerous trips to the school, walking the kilometre hand-in-hand, Singh determined, Shivam curious.

They were snubbed, rebuffed. The school authorities persistently turned them away with excuses. First, there were no admission forms to spare, then it wasn't time yet for admissions, and finally there was no seat left for little Shivam. The capital, which boasts it is the first state to make education a right of children aged 6-14 years, seemed determined to deny Shivam a better footing in life.

Ironically, the Ambedkar Nagar Vidyalaya is the same school where Delhi's education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely announced on Wednesday that Directorate of Education had been instructed to ensure that every child is granted admission. In fact, TOI got the minister's office to intervene on the boy's behalf, but even a direct request from the office could not secure a seat for Shivam.

On Thursday, this reporter witnessed the rude treatment the school has meted out to the father-son duo over the months. On seeing Singh, school head Sandhya Pasricha said, " Tum kyun aaye ho? Maine tumko pehele hi bhaga diya tha (Why are you here? I have turned you away before)." Told that they had been called by this reporter, Pasricha said, "I will not speak to the media. You go to the directorate regarding admissions. And don't come to the school in future."

After all that he's faced in quest of a school seat for his son, Singh is not bitter but disillusioned. "When I first came to the school to fill up the application form in the first week of March, I was told forms were not available. When I came again in mid-March, I was told admissions to class 1 are closed," he recalls.

TOI had tried to help Singh with a reference from the education minister's office after the new session started, but before the promised note could arrive, the summer vacation started. Early this month, the minister's office sent a letter to the deputy director of education (DDE) to help out Shivam as a special case. The DDE asked the school to consider the matter.

"Full of hope and armed with the letter I went to the school five days back, but the principal turned me away saying letters from the ministry and the directorate came all the time. First I was denied a chance to apply and now I have nowhere to go as half the year is over," said Singh.

RTE ACT MANDATE

* Every child between 6 and 14 years of age has right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school till completion of elementary education

* There will be no screening for admissions and no child will be denied admissions on the ground of documents

* All private schools to reserve 25% seats for children of economically weaker section

* Prohibits all unrecognized schools from practice and makes provisions for no donation or capitation fees and no interview of child or parent for admission

* No child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education

* Provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them at par with students of same age

* National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, an autonomous body set up in 2007, to monitor implementation of the Act, together with commissions to be set up by the states


The Times of India, 29 July, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-school-slams-door-on-boy-RTE-mocked/articleshow/9409485.cms


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