A fortnight after HT highlighted Bhavan Vidyalaya’s plans to hold a written admission test for Class 6 in February, as per an advertisement published in a local daily, the school submitted its reply to the show-cause notice and has decided to withdraw the test.
In a reply to the UT education department, which is signed by Bhavan Vidyalaya principal Vineeta Arora, the school authorities said: “Keeping in view the mandatory provisions of Section 13 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Bhavan Vidyalaya has withdrawn the admission notice dated December 22, 2015. The school management has decided not to make fresh admissions to Class 6. Fresh registration forms are not being accepted and the registration fee deposited with admission forms is being refunded to parents without deduction.”
The school authorities have requested the UT education department to withdraw a December 22 memo and drop proceedings being taken in pursuance thereto.
As per Section 13 of the Act, no school or person shall, while admitting a child, collect any capitation fee and subject the child or his or her parents or guardian to any screening procedure. Any school or person, subjects a child to screening procedure, shall be punishable with a fine that may extend to Rs 25,000 for the first contravention and Rs 50,000 for each subsequent contravention.
As per guidelines issued by the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD) issued in November 2010, the objective of the provisions of Section 13 (1) read with Section 2 is to ensure that schools adopt an admission procedure that is non-discriminatory, rational and transparent and that schools do not subject children and their parents to admission tests and interviews in order to decide whether they will admit the child or not. It further states that the admission tests and interviews are generally a tool for profiling and eliminating children, and therefore, screening to assess a child’s intelligence should be prohibited.
{{/usCountry}}As per guidelines issued by the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD) issued in November 2010, the objective of the provisions of Section 13 (1) read with Section 2 is to ensure that schools adopt an admission procedure that is non-discriminatory, rational and transparent and that schools do not subject children and their parents to admission tests and interviews in order to decide whether they will admit the child or not. It further states that the admission tests and interviews are generally a tool for profiling and eliminating children, and therefore, screening to assess a child’s intelligence should be prohibited.
{{/usCountry}}District education officer Vinay Sood confirmed the development. “We received the reply today in which the school authorities have said they have withdrawn the test,” Sood said.