Many MPs fail to use KV quota

RTI: 800 seats unutilised in the past three years

Members of Parliament have been wasting their quota for admitting children to Kendriya Vidyalayas even as theres been talk about raising their existing quota from two to six per year. During the last three academic sessions,849 MP quota seats could not be utilised or were classified as inadmissible. This is either because MPs have failed to make recommendations to the KVs or the applications they forwarded were found to be faulty.

As per information provided by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan to The Indian Express under RTI,181 Lok Sabha MPs 126 in 2009-10,13 in 2010-11,and 42 in 2011-12 did not recommend even a single child for KV admission. Thus,these members wasted 362 seats,which would have been routinely filled in by needy students.

The Lok Sabha data reveals that during these three years,196 Lok Sabha MPs 111 in 2009-10,73 in 2010-11,and 12 in 2011-12 recommended 379 students for admission which were declared inadmissible by the KVS. In comparison,Rajya Sabha MPs seem have taken their quota more seriously. Still,108 quota slots recommended by 54 members 29 in 2009-10,23 in 2010-11,and 2 in 2011-12 were either wasted or were termed as inadmissible.

Under the HRD Ministry guidelines,a Rajya Sabha MP can recommend two children from his or her constituency to the KVs located in his or her state. A Lok Sabha MP can recommend two children from his or her constituency to the schools located in the constituency. There are 140 Lok Sabha constituencies where there are no KVs. Entries made in the registers of KVS show that many MPs either did not avail their quota or did not recommend right candidates.

Joint Commissioner of KVS Sachikant explained that recommendations of MPs have been declared inadmissible due to various reasons: In some cases children who secure recommendations from MPs are found to be underage. In some others they fail the mandatory written test or fail to provide required documents.

Privately HRD Ministry officials admit that a few MPs have suggested that quota should be abolished but no written proposal has come to them. The HRD Ministry last month mooted the proposal for tripling the quota which,officials inform,has been objected to by the Law Ministry.