RTE

HC seeks govt view on whether compulsory promotion applies to minority schoolsThe schoolboy who approached the High Court of Karnataka seeking direction to his school to promote him to standard IX though he secured only two out of 100 in Maths has now invoked the Right To Education Act () to buttress his claim.During the earlier hearing of the case, the eighth standard boy’s advocate relied on the provision of the ICSE syllabus rules to claim that it was not necessary to pass in all subjects to be promoted to the next standard. The matter has now come up before a different judge.Advocate Dr S Armugham, appearing for the boy, argued before the court that the RTE Act makes it compulsory for students to be promoted to the higher standard till IX standard. Though the student is studying in a minority-run school, Armugham argued that the Act is not applicable to minority schools only as far as admitting 25 per cent students under the free quota is concerned.The 14-year-old student is studying in The Frank Anthony Public School (in pic), Ulsoor, and has failed in Maths exam of standard VIII. He scored only two out of 100 in the exams and his advocate had claimed before the court that he was the captain of the school cricket team and therefore had to play and practice for the sport everyday due to which he had failed in the subject. The RTE Act says that students cannot be retained in the same class till they complete their elementary education.Armugham told the court that this means that all students cannot be failed till they complete their VIII standard. The case will be next heard on April 27.No child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education.