AAP Parents Union in Pune is standing up for their children's education rights due to changes made by the Maharashtra government in the Right to Education admission process.
AAP Parents Union and Akhil Bhartiya Samajwadi Shikshan Hakk Sabha have decided to file a complaint in court against the issue.
Protest led by Mukund Kirdat, an AAP spokesperson, said there are challenging changes to the law that affect where kids can go to school.
Under the Central Government's Right to Education Act of 2009, 25% reservation is provided for disadvantaged and weaker sections of children in private schools. The admission process usually begins in March every year. However, due to recent changes in the law, children may have to travel up to a kilometre to avail admission in government or aided schools, and free admissions may not be available in private schools anymore.
Vacant seats in schools
As a result of these changes, 76,000 schools have been registered in Maharashtra, but there are 9,72,000 vacant positions, the union claimed. "In the Pune division alone, although there were 90,000 seats available in private schools last year, only 5,151 schools have been registered this time, leaving 77,900 vacancies. However, most of these vacancies are in government and aided schools," Kirdat said.
"Due to the presence of government schools within a kilometer of children's homes in cities like Pune, there is no possibility of free admission in private schools. It is estimated that there will be 90% vacancies in private schools in this context. Parents are not happy about this. He said it's unfair for kids to travel far for school. We will file a case to court, urging that the government should make sure every child can go to a nearby school. Also, wants an assurance of removing the reservation in government schools went against the law," he added.
Apex Court's decision
The decision of the three-member bench of the Supreme Court in 2012, which mandates a minimum of 25% reservation for disadvantaged and weaker sections in unaided private schools, is legally sound. It is mandatory and unconditional, and any institution running schools through discriminatory practices must be strictly prohibited.
These new changes will lead to the segregation of schools, with elite schools and schools for the poor being socially divided, the union highlighted.
"Education is a right, and it is the government's responsibility to provide access to nearby schools. Therefore, retaining reservations in government schools is in accordance with the Right to Education Act, and any attempt to remove it is unconstitutional," it added.
Parents, while speaking to the Free Press Journal, said that they are worried because it's already April, but the school admission process hasn't started. They hope the court will listen to them and make sure every child in Maharashtra gets a good education.
