TIMES IMPACT

Schools cancel admission tests

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Jaipur: The Seedling Public School at Jawahar Nagar and the Rukmani Birla Modern High School have put on hold the admission test/screening procedure for new admissions at the primary level. The screening session in both the schools were scheduled for December 17. 
    The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took cognizance of the schools planning to hold the tests, which are a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009. One of the main functions of the Commission, constituted by the union ministry of women and child development, is to inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of the child rights violations in the country. 
    In a news published on December 15, TOI had reported that most of the Jaipurbased schools were flouting RTE norms in one way or the other, by holding screening procedures in the name of “interactive sessions” and not fulfilling the criterion for economically weaker sections. 
    The commission has now asked the two schools to cancel the screening procedure. “You are requested to cancel the said admission test as per Section 13 of 
the RTE Act, which bans screening procedure in all schools including specified category schools,” said an office memorandum from Lov Verma, member secretary, NCPCR. The Commission is believed to be sending its inquiry team to these schools on December 17 to check if they comply with Act's provisions. 
    The RTE Act's Section 13(1) provides that, while admitting a child, no school or person shall subject the child or his/her parents to any screening procedure. The Act's section 2(o) defines 'screening procedure' as “method of selection for admission of a child, in preference over another, other than a random method.” 
    “We were told a test would be held on the 17th at the time of taking admission forms and today we got a call from Rukmani Birla school saying that the 'interactive session' has been cancelled and the future procedure will be intimated later,” a parent told TOI. 

 Submitted by Geromic George (Joseph P Overton Fellow for Rajasthan)