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Monday 22 July 2013

95% schools of Mumbai flout RTE norms: Education department

When the Right to Education (RTE) Act was implemented in 2000, it was lauded for its focus on the problems faced by the education sector. But three years later, the clauses under the Act are still to be implemented in the true sense.

Recently revealed numbers by the education department show that barely 100 out of the 1,700-odd schools in the city have managed to comply with all the norms prescribed by the RTE Act, which means nearly 95% schools are flouting norms.

"It is a sad picture that three years after the implementation of the RTE Act, schools are yet to fulfil the basic infrastructure norms. We will take action against all these schools," said M B Kamble, assistant deputy director of education. The education department had conducted surveys to check if all norms were being followed, especially since the deadline for the fulfillment of the RTE norms is August 2013.

Schools, on their part, shared their problems about being helpless in certain matters, especially in a city like Mumbai. "Some of these norms include the need for playgrounds and kitchen sheds in the compound, which is not possible for all schools considering the space crunch in the city," said the principal of a popular school in Andheri (west). She pointed that most of the new schools in the city have no space for a compound. Many principals added that the government needs to help schools find open spaces in the city, which can be shared by two or more institutes through the week.

"RTE also expects schools to make infrastructural changes like building toilets, fire exits and elevated ramps for the physically handicapped. However, some of the schools are really old and these changes are not possible in such buildings," said another principal.

Others also blamed lack of funds for the problem, which leaves most aided schools with no extra funds to make infrastructural changes to their schools

. "Aided schools have not received non-salary funds in almost nine years, so we have no fund to depend on for any form of infrastructural changes. Schools are yet to receive compensation for the 25% reserved seats, expenses for which the government was supposed to shoulder with schools," said the principal of a Goregaon school.

The education department has already sent out notices to all schools who are flouting more than one or two norms, said Kamble.

Norms that cannot be incorporated

* Teacher-student ratio of 1:30 as the education department does not approve hiring of new teachers

* Infrastructural changes, such as elevated ramps for physically handicapped students and separate toilets on every floor, in most old schools

* Need for playgrounds owing to space crunch in the city.
   

Source : T.O.I , 22nd July 2013 

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