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The Directorate of Education (DoE) as well as private schools in the city may soon have to change their policy on providing free textbooks and uniforms to children belonging to Economically Weaker Sections and disadvantaged groups, after the High Court came down heavily on the current “fixed sum reimbursement” system.
“The expression “fixed sum” is not acceptable since it is not an fixed amount but free books and free uniforms that is envisaged in the Right to Education Act,” the court of Justices B D Ahmed Siddharth Mridul said during a hearing on Wednesday.
Pulling up the DoE and schools for trying to “limit responsibility”, the court has now asked for details of the cost of textbooks and school uniforms prescribed for students from classes I-VIII.
“DoE shall furnish a detailed affidavit, with the cost of books as per CBSE syllabus, for classes I-VIII. Cost of uniform for summer and winter in DoE schools will also be provided,” the court said.
The court also directed unaided private schools to file affidavits with details of the average cost of uniforms prescribed in their schools. The schools had argued that the DoE only gave each child Rs 500 a year for uniforms, which costs much more.
“The government is giving us costs not on actual rates but based on government rates” the counsel for the schools said. “You don’t want to give education… you want to save money,” commented the irked court, adding that it was the “duty of the government and schools” to ensure that free textbooks, uniforms and writing materials were given to the EWS/DG students.
The DoE, in its affidavit filed before the court, had stated that only 17,491 out of a total of 68,951 EWS students in unaided private schools were getting free textbooks as prescribed under the RTE Act. The department had also stated that according to the data available, an even lower number of students were getting free uniforms.