E-Paper
Over 500 pvt schools in MP to be inspected over alleged RTE fraud
More than 500 private schools in Madhya Pradesh affiliated to the MP Board of Secondary Education and CBSE are to be inspected by Department of School Education, (DSE), MP and the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan over allegations of irregularities in granting admissions to underprivileged children under Right to Education (RTE) Act.
More than 500 private schools in Madhya Pradesh affiliated to the MP Board of Secondary Education and CBSE are to be inspected by Department of School Education, (DSE), MP and the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan over allegations of irregularities in granting admissions to underprivileged children under Right to Education (RTE) Act.
Private schools are mandated to maintain a 25% admission quota for children from poor economic backgrounds. The fee for these students -- Rs 3,500 for each student -- is reimbursed by the Rajya Shiksha Kendra (RSK). However, it is alleged that several hundred schools in the city registered fake admissions through the quota to claim the reimbursement from RSK.
According to sources, the number of registered admissions under the quota is nearly 30,000 in the past four years, but the actual number of underprivileged students attending schools is far less, pointing at irregularities.
As per the directions by the DSE, RSK and SSA , the private schools will be inspected and be asked to produce below poverty line (BPL) cards for the admissions under the quota. Regular ID cards of the students will also be checked.
Apart from this, the affiliation of the schools will also be inspected to check if they have been confirming with the affiliation norms.
“As affiliation has to be renewed every three years, we suspect some schools have falsely accumulated the affiliation. If the facilities in the school do not meet the standards, then we will cancel their affiliation,” said Prabhakar Srivastava, district project coordinator, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan.
Further, a committee formed by DSE has decided that all private schools will have cameras installed in their premises. Affiliation-renewal for the schools will be based on video proof of proper maintenance and regular activities.
