NEW DELHI | SEP 30, 2013

It has been more than four years since Right to Education (RTE) Act was enacted but its provisions are still being violated by government institutions in the capital, according to a survey by an NGO.

The CRY study conducted in six districts of Delhi covering 131 schools claimed to have found many infrastructural gaps.

As per the Act, there should be 40 students in a single classroom, but around 80-120 children are made to sit in single classroom, the report says.

The ideal student teacher ratio is 40:1 but it is neither maintained in MCD schools nor in government schools because there have been no new appointments by the city government since the inception of Act.

In case teachers have been appointed, they are only on contractual basis.

As per the report, outdoor game facilities were not available in 28 per cent schools. In west Delhi, 80 per cent schools did not have the facilities whereas in east and north-east half of the sample schools did not have it.

In south Delhi, 30 per cent schools did not have outdoor game facilities.

Also, indoor game facilities were absent in 28 per cent schools. 24 per cent of schools did not have a library. In east Delhi, 83 per cent and in west Delhi 80 per cent schools did not have the facility, according to the survey report.

The conditions of toilets were found to be very bad, the report said, adding that unhygienic conditions in government schools is one of the major factors for dropout.

Due to such conditions, children suffer from various diseases which results in leaving the school.

Out of the schools covered in the survey, only 44 per cent schools have clean toilets. The rest 66 per cent schools lack hygienic conditions. 

The schools of north-west, north-east and outer districts of Delhi were found to be more vulnerable in this context. Many schools of south-west district of Delhi did not even have buckets and mugs in their toilets, the report says.

Formation of school management committees (SMC) has not taken place in many schools even after the circulation of an order by the Education Department.

School management committees (SMC) do not exist in 28 per cent of schools. In north-west Delhi more than half of the sample schools did not have a SMC. In West Delhi and in North Delhi more than 30 per cent schools do not have SMCs.

Denial of admission was another major issue observed during the survey leading to mental harassment of parents as they are made run from pillar to post, the report claimed.

The schools are denying admission on various grounds like lack of documents like age proof, residential proof, ID proof, copy of Aadhar card, bank account, transfer certificate, etc, the survey claimed.

Some schools also deny admission saying that the residential area does not fall in their school's allocated region, although the parents share that the school is nearest to their locality and others will be too far for the child.

There also have been instances where the children have been denied admission because they belong to slums, the report claims.

Unavailability of fans, desks, teaching aids, class rooms, proper toilets, safe drinking water facility, ramp for special children, boundary wall in the school, play ground and play material for games, library and lack of other basic facilities are a violation of RTE Act.

http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/delhi-schools-violating-rte-provisions-survey/812056