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Over 70 complaints against private schools in Uttarakhand for alleged violation of RTE Act
The Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights has received complaints against prominent private schools, which have been accused of demanding money from students enrolled under RTE Act.
The Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UCPCR) has received over 70 complaints this year against private schools allegedly violating provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
Usha Negi, chairman of UCPCR, said, “We have received many complaints against private schools of the state flouting the RTE Act. Many schools are demanding fees from students admitted under RTE. Several students are harassed by the school authorities as well.”
The commission has received complaints against prominent private schools, including Scholars Home, Moravian Institute, Doon World School and Doon Sarla Academy. In the various complaints, all four schools have been accused of demanding money from students enrolled under RTE Act.
While complaint against Scholars Home and Doon Sarla Academy stated that they were demanding a monthly fee ranging from ₹500-1,000 from students under RTE and not giving a receipt of the same, parents of a student from Doon World School produced a ‘Fee Card’ issued by the school which recorded the monthly charges taken from the child.
As per a complaint registered by the parents of a student from Moravian Institute, the school had been demanding fees from the Class 5 student. Unable to pay the fees, the parents asked the school for the transfer certificate (TC) of their ward. The complaint said that the school refused to issue the TC until the parents cleared the pending dues. The child had been admitted to the school in Class 1 in May 2014.
A hearing was held between both the parties, following which the commission demanded an affidavit from the school stating their version. “The school granted the TC without charging the parents,” said Kamal Gupta, spokesperson of the commission.
The commission has also received complaints where private schools refuse to give admission to students under RTE Act. “We got some complaints from Haridwar where private schools like Shivam Academy English Medium School refused to give admission to students under RTE Act. There have been reports of children being manhandled by teachers or school authorities in Haridwar,” Gupta said.
Usha Negi said that while the commission is acting upon the grievances that are raised with them, in many cases, parents are too scared to even file a complaint. “We have got to know that a prominent private school of Dehradun has given special identity cards to students admitted under RTE Act. The card has ‘RTE student’ written on it and the child is supposed to wear it all the time. This is a serious violation and we have asked the parents to file a written complaint but they are too scared to do so,” Negi said.
