The Delhi High court has issued notice to the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) seeking their response in a plea demanding directions to them to ensure admission of poor children in play schools, crèches and even minority institutions running on public land.
A Bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw gave the order after an application filed by an NGO Justice for All contending that the court’s 2014 direction, to ensure 25 per cent reservation for children belonging to weaker section in schools situated on DDA land, was not being implemented by the DoE. The court has sought their replies by May 27, the next date of hearing.
The NGO also sought a clarification from the court that its 2014 judgement is applicable to those minority schools also which are situated on public land allotted by land owing agencies.
The petitioner in its applications, filed through advocate Khagesh Jha, alleged that “barring a few schools most have either not updated their vacancy position in the Central Information Commission (CIC) module or updated incorrect information on the website”.
It has claimed that DoE “neither collected any data from the recognised unaided schools nor placed any advertisement for seats so children belonging to weaker sections can approach for admission in the school. The DoE also failed to publish complete list of schools, with addresses, which have provisions of EWS admission especially for play school”.
Appearing for the NGO, advocate Ashok Aggarwal told the court that a “list of schools which are obligated to provide admission to economically weaker section (EWS) should be made available by DoE so that parents know where to apply.”