RTE Act implementation: Teachers’ union slams BMC for reducing fund allocation

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“The civic body and its authorities have not been doing anything to resolve this issue. The state government and the civic body are not taking action against these schools as they cannot deal with the burden of shifting 4 lakh students to other schools. These schools are operating freely and flouting rules,” said Ramesh Joshi, general secretary of Brihanmumbai Mahapalika Shikshak Sabha (BMSS).

Of the 917 schools under the BMC’s education department, 334 private aided primary schools have a student strength of 1,19,703 and the 538 unaided schools have 2,99,000 students.

According to the RTE Act, all schools must comply with 10 infrastructure norms, including a compound wall, toilets, drinking water and playground etc. The schools have to apply for extension of recognition every three years. Following the implementation of the RTE Act, recognition is renewed only if schools have complied with the 10 norms.

In addition, under the RTE Act, 2009, no school can operate without a certificate of recognition from the government authority. For primary schools, the BMC is the statutory body, issuing the recognition certificate.

The union has also alleged that the budgetary allocation for civic education was getting reduced each year.

Joshi added, “The efforts towards getting provisions of RTE Act implemented at school level have become lackadaisical at both ends — state government and BMC. Hence, there is a lacunae. Besides if one compares the civic body’s allocation for education in the last few years, it is reducing each year. Last year, Sitaram Kunte, the then civic commissioner, had announced starting of class VII in 100 schools, but there is no mention of that project in this year’s budget.”
However, officials of the BMC’s education department have claimed that they were ensuring proper implementation of the RTE Act each year.

“Even this year, we have made provisions for toilets in schools which is one of the clauses under the RTE Act as well as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The work of starting class VII in schools is going on too,” said a senior BMC primary education official.
dipti.singh@expressindia.com