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EWS admissions: Private minority schools in Chandigarh told to submit data of three years in a week
The schools have been 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
The UT education department has sought data for EWS admissions for the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic sessions from all private unaided schools with minority status within a week.
The district education officer (DEO) wrote a letter to 20 such schools on Friday.
As per the letter, the educational institutions that have been allotted land by the UT Estate Office at a concessional rate have to reserve 15% seats for students belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS), irrespective of the minority status, according to the allotment letter.
The DEO’s letter also lists seven cases of the Punjab and Haryana high court, wherein implementation of admissions under the EWS quota was ordered.
Of this, 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.
Under the Right to Education Act (RTE), EWS reservations are mandatory not just for entry-level classes but for all classes up to Class 12.
The schools have been 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.
Speaking about this, DEO Prabhjot Kaur said, “For now, we have sought information. Any action to be taken against the schools will be decided by the higher authorities.”
The department’s move comes after its February 23 show-cause notice to Vivek High School, asking why the school is not reserving seats for EWS students after its minority status was quashed by the high court. Officials said the school had sent a reply, but the department had yet to take any action.
President of Independent Schools Association HS Mamik, who is also the chairman of Vivek High School, said while the education department was demanding data of EWS students, it had so far failed to release the obligatory 25% reimbursement per student, provided under the RTE Act.
