RTE ADMISSIONS UP 50% THIS YEAR.
Enrolment Under Act Crosses 75% In Chennai
The number of RTEadmissions in TamilNadu has gone upfrom 49,864 in 2013-14 to 74,127 this year, announced school education minister K C Veeramani in the current Assembly session. This is nearly a 50% jump over the last year.Officials in charge of RTE admissions said Chennai and Coimbatore were the big contributors. In Chennai the increase was around 78%, and 70% of the target was reached.
Officials and child rights activists said that the increase in numbers was encouraging, and attributed it to increased awareness campaigns in target areas and regular threats issued to schools warning them against turning away children from underprivileged backgrounds seeking admission under the 25% reservation clause of the Right To Free and Compulsory Education Act.
A Subramaniam, inspector of matriculation schools in Chennai, said, “ Awareness campaigns did a lot to increase admissions. We forwarded applications to schools, and ensured that applications were converted into seats.“
This year several private non-profit organisations like Becoming I Foundation jumped in to do their bit. Supraja Narayanaswamy , Chennai head of the organisation, said they set up a helpline and helped get admission for around 50 children. “We held awareness campaigns in central and north Chennai, where people had no idea about the Act and that they could benefit from it,“ she said. Volunteers visited schools in the locality and educated them about the provisions of the RTE Act.
Schools were initially reluctant to take students under the 25% reservation clause this year, because they did not receive reimbursements for admissions made in previous years. This was overcome after school education secretary D Sabitha and director of matriculation schools R Pitchai held talks with school heads, assuring them of the refund.
“They told us that they would be allocating around Rs25 crore for reimbursements. We felt reassured when they put a figure to the claim, because we felt some effort was being taken to address our problems. Earlier we were left hanging,“ said the correspondent of a private matriculation school.
Not all are convinced. Child rights activist A Narayanan said, “Everybody has diluted the Act -state government, courts.
There is no meaning in talking about enrolment because the state has allowed all sections of society to benefit.“ Apart from other caste (OC) students, children from any other community , including OBC and SC/ST, can get admission under the state rules. Even children from OC communities can seek admission if their annual income is below Rs2 lakh. “So, it is neither enabling nor empowering the underprivileged,“ he said.
Source: The Times of Inida dt 21-7-14
Officials and child rights activists said that the increase in numbers was encouraging, and attributed it to increased awareness campaigns in target areas and regular threats issued to schools warning them against turning away children from underprivileged backgrounds seeking admission under the 25% reservation clause of the Right To Free and Compulsory Education Act.
A Subramaniam, inspector of matriculation schools in Chennai, said, “ Awareness campaigns did a lot to increase admissions. We forwarded applications to schools, and ensured that applications were converted into seats.“
This year several private non-profit organisations like Becoming I Foundation jumped in to do their bit. Supraja Narayanaswamy , Chennai head of the organisation, said they set up a helpline and helped get admission for around 50 children. “We held awareness campaigns in central and north Chennai, where people had no idea about the Act and that they could benefit from it,“ she said. Volunteers visited schools in the locality and educated them about the provisions of the RTE Act.
Schools were initially reluctant to take students under the 25% reservation clause this year, because they did not receive reimbursements for admissions made in previous years. This was overcome after school education secretary D Sabitha and director of matriculation schools R Pitchai held talks with school heads, assuring them of the refund.
“They told us that they would be allocating around Rs25 crore for reimbursements. We felt reassured when they put a figure to the claim, because we felt some effort was being taken to address our problems. Earlier we were left hanging,“ said the correspondent of a private matriculation school.
Not all are convinced. Child rights activist A Narayanan said, “Everybody has diluted the Act -state government, courts.
There is no meaning in talking about enrolment because the state has allowed all sections of society to benefit.“ Apart from other caste (OC) students, children from any other community , including OBC and SC/ST, can get admission under the state rules. Even children from OC communities can seek admission if their annual income is below Rs2 lakh. “So, it is neither enabling nor empowering the underprivileged,“ he said.
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