ABE unclear over 25% reservation in RTE

Following confusion over whether unaided minority schools have to follow the 25% reservation clause in the Right To Education (RTE) Act, the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) is planning to set up a committee to study the matter.

Following confusion over whether unaided minority schools have to follow the 25% reservation clause in the Right To Education (RTE) Act, the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) is planning to set up a committee to study the matter.

A Supreme Court ruling in April said that unaided minority schools were exempt from the clause which requires schools to admit economically backward students in up to 25% of their strength.

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However, following a recent amendment, there is now confusion if they are exempted or not. “We will form a committee to study the whole thing,” said Father Gregory Lobo, head of the ABE.

The ABE oversees around 150 schools, of which around 130 have aided secondary sections and unaided primary sections. The remainder is unaided for both primary and secondary sections.

ABE schools held a special meeting on Thursday to understand the RTE Act and its implications, with nodal RTE officer Sanjay Deshmukh explaining the nuances to school principals. “The government has to take a call by way of a notification about the amendment,” said Deshmukh.