GMADA backs off as schools agree to give free education

Last month,the heads of all 16 private educational institutions who were allotted sites on concessional rates in the city were put on notice to reserve 10 per cent of their total seats for the students belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) families from the current academic session.

GMADA Estate Officer (EO) Balbir Singh Dhol told Newsline that during a special meeting held recently,the private school heads agreed to comply with the norm of free education to poor from the current academic session. GMADA directed the school heads to prominently display the terms and conditions of charging no tuition fee from poor students on their notice boards placed at the main gate of their respective institutions besides displaying the notice on the provision of reservation of seats for free education to poor students in their respective prospectuses.

To ensure a strict compliance of the order,GMADA has asked the District Education Officers to keep close tab on the schools.

On the details of the students provided free education in their respective schools in the past five years,most of the school heads said the old records were not available.

Though the provision of providing free education to poor existed in the terms and conditions of allotment of sites to the schools,so far neither GMADA had paid any attention towards the implementation of the scheme nor the majority of schools ever bothered to extend the facility to the beneficiaries.

“From now onwards,every step would be taken to ensure the strict implementation of the scheme in all those private schools allotted sites from GMADA/PUDA on concessional rates so that the underprivileged poor students get facility of quality education without paying for it in private schools,” asserted Dhol.

As per the allotment rules,the allotted sites could be resumed for any violation but being the first time,GMADA has decided to withdraw the notices issued this time.

Under the scanner
Spring Valley Public School,Sector 65; Path Finder High School,Sector 69; Smart Kids Educational Society,Sector 64; Love Walk Educational and Welfare Society,Sector 70; Saint Farid Public School,Sector 59; Doon International Society,Sector 69; Green Field Public School,Sector 59; Tiny Tots Public School,Sector 64; Genius Educational Society,Sector 69; Shishu Niketan Model School,Sector 66; Global Educational Research Society,Sector 69; Aanchal Educational Society,Sector 56; Hemkunt Educational Society,Sector 71; River Dale Educational Society,Sector 70; Aggarwal Education Trust,Sector 69; and Pooja International School,Sector 71.