A total of 44,595 children belonging to economically weaker sections of society were enrolled under Right to Education (RTE) Act in different State unaided schools in the past three years in Uttarakhand, said additional secretary and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) state project director Radhika Jha while talking to The Pioneer.
All the district education officers (DEO) (basic) have been directed to submit report of actual status of the enrolled students in their respective districts. The department had released Rs 13.6 crore in May (first week) this year for the districts to pay tuition fees of enrolled children to the private unaided schools. The expenses including midday meal scheme, text books and uniforms for enrolled students have also been included on released funds.
Jha further said that as per the RTE Act, 25 per cent children of economically weaker section will be enrolled in 3,693 unaided schools in the state. All the DEOs have been directed to ensure that allocated seats in the unaided schools are filled with the enrolment of these children without delay.
SSA state project RTE cell in-charge Krishna Swaroop said that as per the report received from the districts, a total of 12, 236 out of target 23, 984 children including 3, 775 in Dehradun, 3, 368 in Udhamsinghnagar, 957 in Haridwar were enrolled under RTE Act in as many as 4384 private unaided schools in the state by June 6 this year.
In the year 2011-12, a total of 15,104 children out of target 27,024 were enrolled in the 4,061 public unaided schools in the State. In the same year, 4, 412 children were enrolled in Udhamsinghnagar, 2,706 in Haridwar, 1838 in Dehradun and 1,026 in Tehri Garhwal. According to him, in the year 2012-13, the department had enrolled as many as 17, 255 children out of target 24, 155 which included 4305 in Udhamsinghnagar, 3010 in Dehradun, 2812 in Haridwar, 1027 in Almora under the RTE Act in as many as 3693 public unaided schools in the State.
Swaroop said that in order to provide tuition fees of enrolled children to the public schools, the department had released around Rs 6.17 crore to the districts in the last year while this year, Rs 13.6 crore was released. As per the reports received from the districts, this year, around 95 per cent released funds have been distributed to the schools in Bageshwar district, around 80 per cent in Pauri and 50 per cent in Almora and remaining districts have not been reported this year so far.