The Federation of Private Schools’ Association has decided to observe a one-day strike on September 15 over the denial of reimbursement to private schools as provided under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009, for providing education to the wards of the EWS.
Kulbhushan Sharma, state president of the federation, said they had decided to launch a forceful movement against the denial of reimbursement to private schools for teaching EWS wards as was provided under Rule 134A of the RTE Act on one pretext or the other despite a clear directive issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A recent notification by the state government had clarified that reimbursements for educating the EWS wards would be made only to those schools which had not taken any financial exemptions from the government. As most of the schools in the state have been beneficiaries of some exemption or the other, it had left little scope for the private schools to reclaim reimbursements for the state government.
Sharma claimed that prior to the Assembly elections, the BJP had promised that it would ensure reimbursement to the private schools as provided by Act. He alleged even as private schools across the country were being compensated by the governments to educate EWS wards, in Haryana, the money sanctioned under the RTE by the Centre was being pocketed by the state government.
He said on September 15, all private unaided schools in Ambala would observe a strike. They would assemble at the Gandhi Ground and take out a silent march across the city. They would also over a memorandum to Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij. This will be followed by district-wise strikes.
He said if the demand was not met, the federation would chalk out the next plan of action. The federation would challenge the issuance of income certificates by the tehsildars without verifying the actual income of the families that apply for the certificate to claim benefits under the RTE Act, said Sharma, claiming the federation would also seek bringing down of the EWS limit from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 lakh as was the case in Delhi.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an order dated April 1, had taken on record that “under Section 12(2) of the RTE, the state was required to reimburse the expenditure (incurred by private schools in educating wards of EWS)”.
Kulbhushan Sharma, state president of the federation, said they had decided to launch a forceful movement against the denial of reimbursement to private schools for teaching EWS wards as was provided under Rule 134A of the RTE Act on one pretext or the other despite a clear directive issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A recent notification by the state government had clarified that reimbursements for educating the EWS wards would be made only to those schools which had not taken any financial exemptions from the government. As most of the schools in the state have been beneficiaries of some exemption or the other, it had left little scope for the private schools to reclaim reimbursements for the state government.
Sharma claimed that prior to the Assembly elections, the BJP had promised that it would ensure reimbursement to the private schools as provided by Act. He alleged even as private schools across the country were being compensated by the governments to educate EWS wards, in Haryana, the money sanctioned under the RTE by the Centre was being pocketed by the state government.
He said on September 15, all private unaided schools in Ambala would observe a strike. They would assemble at the Gandhi Ground and take out a silent march across the city. They would also over a memorandum to Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij. This will be followed by district-wise strikes.
He said if the demand was not met, the federation would chalk out the next plan of action. The federation would challenge the issuance of income certificates by the tehsildars without verifying the actual income of the families that apply for the certificate to claim benefits under the RTE Act, said Sharma, claiming the federation would also seek bringing down of the EWS limit from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 lakh as was the case in Delhi.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an order dated April 1, had taken on record that “under Section 12(2) of the RTE, the state was required to reimburse the expenditure (incurred by private schools in educating wards of EWS)”.
