The decision of the Haryana Government to reduce reservation of seats-for students belonging to the economically weaker sections and BPl categories in admission in around 12,000 recognised private schools from 25 to 10 per cent led to protests on Monday.
Protestors under the banner of ‘Do Jama Panch Mudde Jan Andolan’ (a movement on seven issues) protested in the city and were stopped near Haryana Raj Niwas. They raised slogans against Haryana Government.
Activist Satvir Singh Hooda said only 1 or 2 per cent parents were able to get benefit of reservation in private schools under this scheme of the Government. “Instead of implementing 25 per cent reservation, the Government has reduced the quota for poor students for admission in private schools”, he said. An activist of the organisation and a Rohtak based lawyer, Sandeep Singh added that 23 lakh students are getting education from Class I to Class XII in the various private schools and it means 5.5 lakh students (25 per cent of the total numbers of students) have been affected by this decision of the State Government.
The decision to reserve 25 per cent seats for the EWS and the BPl categories was first announced in 2007 under Haryana School Education Rules, 2003. However, the owners of private schools began an agitation maintaining that they could not reserve one-fourth of the seats in every Class from I to XII since it was not economically viable. The private school owners also offered that they were ready to teach these students if Government agrees to reimburse the fee of such students.
After numerous rounds of meetings with Government officials, the Government and the school owners, finally reached on a compromise of offering 10 per cent seats to the students of the two categories.
“The recognised private schools shall reserve 10 per cent seats for meritorious students belonging to EWS and BPl categories. The school shall charge fee from these students at the same rate as charged in Government schools,” mentioned Surina Rajan, state principal secretary (school education), in a notification issued on June 19. Satvir Singh Hooda said education is free up to 8th class in Government schools and the charges for upper classes are also very nominal being Rs35 for Class 9th-10th and Rs45 for class 10+1 and 10+2.
However, president of Federation of Private School Welfare Association Haryana, Kulbhushan Sharma said that it was not possible for private schools to give 25 per cent reservation to weaker sections. “This was indirectly a burden on the remaining 75 per cent students as there is no other source of income for the private schools,” he said.