Pvt schools directed to fill 25 percent seats, as reserved: Abhishekh Jain

Shimla, Feb 27 – Education department is ensuring strict compliance of the instructions of the state government to provide inclusive, equal and quality education to all the children and the department is successfully implementing universalization of education in the state, stated Secretary Education, Dr. Abhishek Jain while chairing a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss in length the provisions of the Right to Education Act, here today.

The Act provides the right to free and compulsory elementary education to children in the age group of 6-14 years so that no child is deprived of it. As per the Act, the private schools should ensure filling of 25 percent reserved seats for children from economically weak and deprived sections of the society and people should also be made aware of it, he said.

The secretary also sought information about the current academic session fee waive-off, of those children, who have lost both their parents or were dependent on single parents because of COVID pandemic. Private schools were also informed about the compliance of the instructions for waiving the fee for such children. Directions were issued to the schools to regularly organize parent teachers’ meetings besides, meetings of various school committees formulated for road safety, anti-drug etc. Meetings should also be conducted at regular intervals to ensure the physical, mental and moral well-being of the students, said he, adding that the schools should also evolve innovative strategies to make students aware of the ill effects of drugs.

Director of Higher Education, Dr. Amarjit Sharma, Director of Elementary Education, Ghanshyam Sharma, Principals of various private schools and their representatives also participated in the meeting.