RTE

PMC

Vidya Bhavan

Shivaji Daundkar

Paranjape School

As the admission dates for students seeking places in schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act have been extended by another ten days, due to errors in documentation as well as an abysmal shortfall in the numbers (of the 10,228 seats available in Pune district, only 3,645 have been filled), a prominent institution in the city is turning away kids as they were earlier educated in a Marathi-medium school.These students who approached two of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s schools — Paranjape Vidyamandir and Sulochana Natu Vidya Mandir — were denied admissions in Class I as they had done their pre-primary education from Marathi-medium schools, compelling the parents to complain to Pune Municipal Corporation’s () education board. The parents are incensed by the fact that their wards were denied the privilege despite making the cut through the first RTE lottery announced on March 13. Additionally, the school had also conducted a primary assessment of students who were earlier educated in semi-English medium schools, which is in defiance of RTE norms.Speaking about the rejection, Nandakumar Kakirde, director and honorary secretary of Bharatiya, said, “We start taking in students from the nursery class and it becomes very difficult if students from non-English backgrounds come directly to Class I. At Sulochana Natu School, 13 of the 38 students who have come through RTE are from a non-English background.” He admitted to assessing 10 students who came from semi-English medium schools for an assurance that they understand rudimentary English, and had no qualms in admitting that three students who were educated in the Marathi medium would find it very hard to continue their academics in English.The parent who went to Paranjape Vidya Mandir for her six-year-old daughter’s admission said, “We had been approaching this school for an admission but were denied the same as our daughter did her pre-primary from a Marathi-medium school in the city. The school has now told us to wait till Monday, when they will let us know their verdict.” The parent emphasised that even though her daughter had taken her primary education in a Marathi-medium school, actual learning in any school only begins from Class I. “We think she would be able to cope up with the studies in an Englishmedium school,” she added.All the parents whose wards are affected complained that while they filled the form to seek admission under RTE, there was no option for the earlier medium of education., education officer at PMC, said, “There is no rule under RTE to suggest a pre-requisition of a medium of education. Parents can change their child’s medium of education from Marathi to English or English to Marathi.”Daundkar further added, “We had called the school officials for a hearing after receiving the complaints from the parents of these students, and have informed them that they must admit the students for Class I, irrespective of any medium of instruction in their previous school. Children as young as six can be groomed in any language if the school is capable taking on the challenge. If the results of the lottery have been announced and a student is admitted, then the schools has to give admission. Assessing students prior to the admission is also illegal.”Kakirde, who has faced a similar problem in the past, said that he had written to the civic body’s education department in January about keeping out students from Marathi-medium schools. He said, “I had informed the officials as I do not want any student to face a problem, as it is difficult for them to cope, when switching from Marathimedium to English. Yet, the school board has given us Marathi medium students. The school is already at a loss of Rs 5 crore due to non-payment of RTE funds. The education board has threatened us with strict action, but they can rectify the RTE admission and give those students admission at any Marathi- medium school.”Ten students from semi-English medium schools have been admitted to Sulochana Natu Vidya Mandir, but three are being kept out. At, there are only three students out of which one is from an English-medium school and two from semi-English medium ones. The parents are complaining that the admission of their kids is still on hold.On this issue, Daundkar said, “We have informed the school to allow admission to the students, failing which they will have to face action.”█ Out school is already at a loss of Rs 5 crore due to non-payment of RTE funds. The education board has threatened us with action, but it can give students admission at any Marathi-medium school