Calls grow for fee waiver for EWS students till class 12

Many parents said the demand is like a bolt from the blue and the fee of approximately over ₹7,000 a month is beyond them as they earn only about that much or less in a month.

The debate on extending free education up to class 12 to economically weaker section (EWS) students of private schools has risen once again with parents of several class 9 students saying they have been told to pay the school fee from this academic year.

As per Delhi school education rules, private schools on government land have to provide free education to EWS students up to class 12. (HT File)

Many parents said the demand is like a bolt from the blue and the fee of approximately over ₹7,000 a month is beyond them as they earn only about that much or less in a month.

The Right to Education (RTE) Act mandates that 25% of seats in entry-level classes (kindergarten and class 1) at private school be reserved for EWS and disadvantage groups (DG) students. It guarantees free education to such children till the completion of class 8 and the state and central governments reimburses schools a fixed amount towards this.

In the past few days, several private schools in Delhi have sent out letters to parents of class 9 students asking them to pay fee from this academic session, on a par with general category students, or leave the school.

When the first batch of EWS students completed class 8 in 2019 in Delhi, parents and educationists had demand that free education be extended till class 12. But no state has extended it till now.

As per Delhi school education rules, private schools on government land have to provide free education to EWS students up to class 12. But, there is no such compulsion on schools on private land.

Advocate and president of All India Parents Association Ashok Agarwal had filed a PIL in the Delhi high court demanding the extension of free education till class 12 in 2019. “The Centre had last month informed the court that it is not considering an extension. Who will take responsibility for the children already enrolled under RTE? The centre and state governments should come together to amend the RTE Act and extend it up to the senior-most class that a school offers. Meanwhile, the state governments can also reimburse schools for students who have reached class 9 and are struggling to pay the fee,” he said.

A senior official of the Delhi government, who asked not to be named, said the decision of extending the free education till class 12 cannot be taken by a state government unilaterally. “Presently, central and state governments are sharing the reimbursement cost paid to schools under the RTE Act in a 60:40 ratio. If the state takes any decision of extending the Act, it will have to bear the entire cost. So, any decision of extending the Act will be taken either by amending the Act or on a mutual understanding between governments on how to share the cost,” the official said.

Meanwhile, parents are left to endure the uncertainty and worry about raising the fee.

For instance, NC Jindal Public School in Punjabi Bagh sent letters (HT has seen them) to parents of over 50 EWS students on March 20 and told them to pay the fee by April 10.

“You’ll also be required to furnish an undertaking that you will continue to do so in the future also. In case you fail to inform that you are willing to pay the fees of your ward as per the general category students or fail to respond to this letter, the name of your ward will stand struck off from the school register with effect from March 31, 2021,” the letter read.

The father of a class 9 student at the school, who asked not to be named, alleged that his son had not been able to join his online classes. “The school never told us that our child would be transferred to the general category after class 8. We have no means to pay (the fee of) ₹7,000 a month. It’s more than half my monthly salary. I don’t know what to do. I am thinking of taking a loan for my son’s education now,” he said.

School principal DK Pandey did not respond to calls, messages and emails seeking comment.

Another school in west Delhi, Hansraj Model School, sent a similar letter to parents of over 100 EWS students and told them to pay the fee by April 15.

The mother of a class 9 student at that school, requesting anonymity, said, “My husband works at a tea shop and by no means will we be able to pay the fee of a private school. We have no option but to shift him to a government school, though he is totally against it. He started crying when we told him that we are planning to change his school.”

School principal Heemal Handu Bhat did not respond to calls, messages and emails seeking comment.

Parents of both these schools had protested against the letters and submitted a memorandum to the Delhi lieutenant-governor demanding an extension of free education up to class 12 on Friday.

In the past two years, while some parents have already transferred their wards from private to government schools, others have been trying to arrange money by whatever means possible.

The father of a class 10 student at St Thomas School, Dwarka, said the school had withheld his son’s class 9 results. “Last year, when he started class 9, the lockdown had been imposed and the school did not ask us for money. It was in October that we got to know that my son had been transferred to the general category and we were supposed to pay the fee. I somehow managed to pay the fee for two months after which he was allowed to appear for the exams. Now the school has asked me to pay the fee dues in order to release his results,” he said.

When contacted, school principal Menaka Singh said in an email response: “We would like to state that as in the past, our school continues to comply with the RTE Act, Delhi School Education Act, and all other applicable laws. We have no further comment.”

Among those who have been forced to switch to a government school in class 9 was Kavyanshi, a resident of Tilak Nagar. Her parents shifted her to a government school last October after failing to pay her private school fee. “I am still trying to adjust with my new teachers and classmates. It feels like my entire world has changed,” she said.