JAGATSINGHPUR: Members of Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangh, a State-level parents’ body, on Sunday urged the government to ensure private schools adhere to guidelines of Right to Education Act-2009 and possess certificates as mandated by the School and Mass Education department.
Most private institutions in the district do not possess the mandatory certificate of recognition and no objection certificate, granted by the School and Mass Education departmentm the Mahasangh said at a meeting held here on the day and came out against the monopoly of such schools whose owners have been minting money by breaking rules.
It is alleged that thousands of children, who are eligible to receive free education in schools have been deprived of the benefit with the State government looking the other way. There are 238 private unaided schools in Paradip, Jagatsinghpur, Kujang, Raghunathpur, Tirtol, and other areas. Under Right to Education Act-2009, privately managed schools are required to reserve 25 per cent seats for children belonging to ‘weaker section and disadvantaged group.’ While 15 per cent seats are required to be reserved for the disadvantaged, the rest 10 per cent is for children belonging to weaker sections of the society.
It is also mandatory for private primary and high schools to provide free and compulsory education to all children from the age of six to 16 years as it is their fundamental right. Private schools are required to prescribe NCERT books to their students but a few adhere to the norm and often ask their students to buy books of other publications.
The Mahasangha urged the government to ensure that all private schools functioning in the district possess the mandatory certificate of registration, no-objection certificate, prescribe their students to buy NCERT books and adhere to guidelines of the Right to Education Act. Mahasangha chairman Basudev Bhatt, who attended the meeting through video-conferencing, warned of agitation if the demands are not met.