While asserting that the Government has no intention of “interfering” in the daily affairs of the schools, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday scrapping of management quota for nursery admissions in private schools has thrown open 50 per cent extra seats for common man.
“The Delhi Government has made school admissions totally transparent. Scrapping management quota, which were used to oblige recommendations of politicians, Government functionaries and powerful people, has opened nearly 50 per cent extra seats for common man,” Kejriwal said at an interaction with parents seeking admission for their wards.
Also, he said the Delhi Government will “think” about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year.
The Government has “cut its own hands” in doing so as the school admission process will now take place in a transparent manner without any recommendations, he said.
“We are not going to benefit from it. The Government and the CM have rather cut our hands. Otherwise our volunteers would bring recommendations and we would be doling out seats for admissions,” he said.
Replying to complaints and suggestions of parents seeking admission for their children, Kejriwal said the management quota and 62 criteria for admissions were scrapped as they were not “reasonable, fair and transparent”.
“We believed in schools and allowed them to upload their admission criteria by December 31. But some of the schools betrayed our faith and reserved up to 75 per cent seats through these criteria and various quota like alumni and sibling quota.”
The CM said the admissions on 25 per cent seats under EWS quota were also riddled with irregularities and the Government has now made this process online.
“They will have no better Government than this one if they want to do good things but they will also not found any worse Government if they indulge in irregularities,” he warned.
“Now, the schools will not have their say in it. Those who will not follow guidelines and rules will be decrecognised,” said Kejriwal, adding that his Government had no intention of “interfering” in their day to day affairs.
“We will think about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year,” he said in reply to a suggestion by one of the parents.
The Government has decided to focus on education and health in 2016 and is working on it and policies should be framed in consultation with public, said the CM.
Attending the event, Deputy CM and Education minister Manish Sisodia said, “There was tremendous pressure from different quarters including the private schools to maintain the management quota. But we will not bow down to pressure,” he said.
The Government has only “ordinary” powers to regulate schools and it needs to have more powers to issue directions and take action against them.
“We have included this power in the Delhi Education Act by amending it and sent for Centre’s approval so that the Delhi Government and private schools in Delhi could work in a better way,” he said.
Alleging that several schools had turned themselves into “teaching shops” through management quota, Sisodia said the Government was determined to stop them.
“Management quotas were used as a window through which money was taken and recommendations by Ministers, bureaucrats and police officials were met,” he said.
The schools are creating “confusion” over admission criteria and ending of management quota, but the parents need not to worry as the Government was with them, Sisodia said.
“The schools are doing this wilfully to scare the parents. But they do not need to worry as the government is with them to ensure transparency in admission,” he said.
The Deputy CM, while criticising the private schools over management quota and admission criteria related irregularities, also acknowledged their role in “maintaining quality of education” at a time when Govern-ment schools failed to do so.
“They have been told that if they face legal problems in the way of doing good things we will change it.”
He further clarified that the Government has accepted the demand of private schools for seats for children of teachers and members of management committees.
Asserting that improvement in education required efforts on all its aspects, Sisdoia said the Government will focus on training and quality of education at Government schools.
“The first year of the Government was spent in construction of classrooms and schools and we built 8,000 classrooms and 25 new schools. Now, we will focus on improving teachers training and quality of education at Government schools, he added.