Private schools not happy as govt fixes their RTE reimbursement fee at Rs 450

Under the Right to Education Act,the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to reimburse Rs 450 per student to private schools for education of students belonging to disadvantaged and weaker sections.

Under the Right to Education Act,the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to reimburse Rs 450 per student to private schools for education of students belonging to disadvantaged and weaker sections. As per the Act,which was implemented earlier this year in the state,the non-aided private schools have to admit students from disadvantaged and weaker sections on at least 25 per cent of their seats.

The state government,which had to decide the amount that the government would reimburse to these schools as fee of these students,came up with the figure of Rs 450 per student or the original fee of the school,whichever is less for educating these students in the non-aided private schools. As the fee in private schools range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month,the reimbursement amount decided by the government has not gone down well with the private schools in the state.

Though forced to accept the governments decision in this regard,the school administration also fears that the step will deteriorate the quality of education or will have to be compensated with a fee hike for the remaining 75 per cent of students. We will have to increase income from other sources,even if it makes some people unhappy,to compensate for this abysmally low fee reimbursement, said SKD Singh of Lucknows SKD Academy.

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We are ready to accept whatever the government has decided and will try and impart the same quality education to these students as well, said Jagdish Gandhi,founder manager of City Montessori School,which has several branches in Lucknow. However,he added that the amount is too less for quality education. The money is not satisfactory at all. We provide exposure of international level to students at our school and it takes money for that. We pay high salary to teachers to maintain the standard of education. The reimbursement amount is like peanuts, Gandhi added.

Under the Right of Children to free and compulsory Education Act 2009,every child of the age of six to 14 years has a right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school till completion of elementary education. Under the Act,25 per cent of the seats in private schools from Class I to VIII are to be reserved for children belonging to weaker and disadvantaged sections,the cost of which is to be borne by the state and central governments.

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Right to Education Act