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EWS admissions: Only 4 of 20 pvt minority schools in Chandigarh respond with data
On March 11, the Chandigarh education department, through a letter, had given the schools a week to provide data for EWS admissions for the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic sessions
Over a week after the UT education department sought data for EWS admissions from city’s 20 private unaided schools that have minority status, only four have written back with the information.
On March 11, the department, through a letter, had given the schools a week to provide data for EWS admissions for the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic sessions.
The schools were told to provide class-wise data, including the total number of students enrolled, EWS seats reserved, EWS students enrolled and students belonging to the relevant minority community.
But only four schools aptly responded with the information sought, while 11 replied that EWS reservation is not applicable to them as they are minority schools.
An official from the education department said all educational institutions that had been allotted land by the UT Estate Office at a concessional rate were required to reserve 15% seats for students belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS), irrespective of the minority status, according to the allotment letter.
The official said, “The 11 schools have been informed about this again and told to provide the data. If they fail to comply, they will face legal action.”
The remaining five schools have no sent any response to the department. Sources said they will be issued show-cause notices in the coming days.
Saupin’s School, Sector 32, is among the schools that has responded that the quota doesn’t apply to them. School director-principal ABS Sidhu in a letter to the department said, “Saupin’s School is a minority education institution covered under the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act and the state quotas are not applicable.”
He also listed two cases from the Supreme Court, and one each from the Delhi high court and Punjab and Haryana high court in this regard.
Sidhu, who is also the vice-president of the Independent Schools’ Association (ISA), Chandigarh, added that nonetheless, the school had enrolled all children of Class 4 employees (17) and 10 other EWS students.
St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, is one of the four schools that supplied the information sought. Principal Louis Lopez said, “We have been reserving EWS seats ever since we got the minority status in 2016. Currently, we have 35 EWS students. It was one of the founding principles of our school to provide education to the less fortunate.”
In her letter to the schools on March 11, DEO Prabhjot Kaur had mentioned seven cases of the Punjab and Haryana high court, wherein implementation of admissions under the EWS quota was ordered.
Of these, five cases have been decided; an interim order was issued on April 6, 2021, in the case titled “Director, school education, UT, v/s National Commission for Minority Education Institute and others (St Kabir School, Sector 26); and there is no stay in the case titled “Independent School Association, Chandigarh, and others v/s Chandigarh administration”, which remains sub-judice.
