NEW DELHI: Nearly 74 private schools in Delhi have not admitted a single child either in 2016-17 or 2017-18 or in both the years in total under EWS quota, found a survey done by the Delhi government watchdog Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR). The Commission has submitted the report to the Delhi government's education department and asked the department to take the necessary steps. "48 schools did not admit a child in 2016-17 and 7 such schools in 2017-18 while 19 schools did not admit a single child in both the academic years," noted the DCPCR report.
The DCPCR has written a letter to the education department of the Delhi government. "The phone number of parents allotted seats in these 74 schools under Right to Education section 12(1) (c) to enable the commission to carry forward its inquiry by means of contracting these parents. The reasons recorded by these private schools for denying admission to the children" noted the letter. The DCPCR has also asked the education department to disclose what action they have taken.
Talking to the Millennium Post, Anurag Kundu of DCPCR said, "We want to inquire the whole matter. There should be proper explanations of why they have not admitted the children." He added that DCPCR has also asked for the phone numbers of parents so that they can cross-check the facts. "We want to see the claims of the schools and then also the claims of the parents if there is mismatch then stringent action would be taken," Kundu said.
Earlier this year, the Delhi government pulled up schools here for not making public data about vacant seats and admissions made under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
In a communication to schools, the Directorate of Education (DoE) said, "Schools were directed to display on the notice board information about total number of seats in all classes, number of seats under EWS quota, seats available, total applications received under EWS quota and information about till when the EWS quota applications will be received and date by which the admissions will be given."
"It has been observed that schools are not doing the same and are ordered to comply with the directive or face action," it said. While those belonging to families with annual income less than Rs 1 lakh can seek admission under the EWS category, the disadvantaged group category applicants include the SC, ST, OBC, non-creamy layer, differently abled, and transgender.