Supreme Court Mandates 25% Quota for Economically Weaker Students in Private Schools
Supreme Court Directs Implementation of Quota for Underprivileged Students
The Supreme Court instructed officials on Tuesday to establish regulations ensuring that a 25% quota for children from economically and socially weaker sections is enforced in private, non-aided, non-minority schools.
The court emphasized that providing admission to underprivileged children in educational institutions should be regarded as a 'national mission.'
It stated that the responsibility of admitting children from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) lies with the appropriate government and local authorities.
Furthermore, the court noted that judicial bodies, whether constitutional or civil, should make additional efforts to provide accessible and effective relief to parents who claim to be deprived of this right.
A bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar is examining the challenges faced by EWS category students in securing admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates a 25% reservation for such children in private, non-aided, non-minority schools.
The bench is hearing a special leave petition filed by an individual whose children were denied admission in 2016 to a local school for free and compulsory primary education, despite available seats. Subsequently, they approached the Mumbai High Court.
The High Court dismissed their petition on the grounds of not applying through the online process for filling reserved seats. The bench remarked that, 'Unfortunately,' the petition against the High Court's order had been pending for a long time.
The Supreme Court stated, 'However, to ensure that parents like the petitioner do not repeatedly face such situations, we deemed it appropriate to set a precedent and decided to examine the effectiveness of the procedures for compliance with the provisions of Section 12 of the RTE Act (scope of school responsibility for free and compulsory education).'