RTE in Bihar’s private schools: Schools’ outfit says govt funds to teach BPL kids inadequate

The association has said that though the schools complied with RTE norms, a clash between Centre and state had created a deadlock and the schools had not received three years’ fee dues.

The association’s chairman, Dr D K Singh, told reporters Wednesday that they recently met the CM with a proposal to set up 11,000 schools exclusively for BPL students with their funds.

“We met former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and then CM Nitish Kumar with proposals to end the impasse over RTE implementation by private schools, but there has been no forward movement. Rather, the Centre and the state governments are sparring over the issue. Unless private schools are made a party to the RTE implementation through a government committee, it is almost impossible to educate a BPL student for Rs 300 per month when the minimum cost for teaching a student comes to Rs 1,300 per month”, said Singh, adding that the “politics over RTE was defeating the main purpose of extending quality education to the poor”.

He said that even after four years of the Act’s implementation, there was ambiguity over some norms. “Many issues need to be addressed to fully implement RTE Act in private schools,” he said.

The association’s vice-chairman Rajeev Ranjan Singh said: “We are open to opening 11,000 schools for BPL students where free education will be provided. We only want the state government to acknowledge these schools so that the students face no problem in seeking admission to other schools later.”

A student qualifies as BPL if his/her parents’ annual income is less than Rs 60,000.

Bihar Education Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary told The Indian Express: “Rs 3,600 per year per BPL student is the standard fee provided in all states that have implemented the Act. We have anyway raised this issue with the Centre. As for their proposal to open schools, our first priority is to ensure that the existing private schools follow RTE norms. We are taking time to clear fee dues as we are checking if the private schools are indeed adhering to norms.” He added: “We are committed to bringing private schools under RTE net and are open to talks.”

Those from BPL families, however, said implementation of RTE Act by private schools would continue to be an “unrealised dream”. Saryug Paswan, a mason with five schoolgoing children, said: “I have not found a single instance in my locality where a poor child is studying in a quality school. I send my children to government schools. They at least get free uniform and midday meal”.

WATCH INDIAN EXPRESS VIDEOS HERE