Rajya Sabha members seek answers on plan for MP quota in KVs

The matter came up in the Upper House after BJP MP Sushil Modi sought to know if the government was planning to end MPs’ and district magistrates’ discretionary quota across the country.

Our country's inventions do not get patented. DU can start a short-term diploma course on the patent process said education minister'. File

Days after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called for a debate on the continuation of MP quota in Kendriya Vidyalaya admissions, interventions by BJP and Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday indicated that any move to scrap the quota would face stiff resistance.

The matter came up in the Upper House after BJP MP Sushil Modi sought to know if the government was planning to end MPs’ and district magistrates’ discretionary quota across the country. Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi responded that a decision would be taken based on consultation with all MPs.

“A decision (on raising the quotas per MP or scrapping it) will be taken after discussing the matter with leaders of all parties. The Education Ministry will take all suggestions into account,” Devi told Rajya Sabha, responding to a clutch of queries from members.

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According to response provided by the government to a written query by Sushil Modi, during the year 2021-22, 7,301 students have been admitted in KVs through MP quotas.

The response also showed that the Education Minister’s discretionary quota in this regard was not used in 2021-22. In 2020-21, 12,295 students were admitted through the minister’s quota.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the quota under which each MP can recommend 10 admissions was not enough to meet the demand from their constituents, an observation echoed by BJP MP Vivek Thakur.

“Parents whose children are capable in studying in GP Goenka or Delhi Public School do not come to us. Poor people do,” Thakur said, suggesting that the unused quota of the minister be distributed among MPs so that the size of their discretionary quota gets enhanced.

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Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, oversees the 1,248 KVs that are spread across 36 states and Union Territories. There are about 14,35,562 students studying in these central government schools.

Official figures show that despite the Education Minister not using his discretionary quota for admissions in 2021-22, the number of admissions through other quotas including that of MPs and DMs among others stood at 1,75,261 last year.

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