CHANDIGARH: The UT education department has slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on KB DAV Senior Secondary School in Sector 7 for conducting a test for admission to Class I. This has been done after a parent filed a complaint was filed with the education department.

In February, The Times of India reported about the incident, when district education officer Anujit Kaur recommended this action. The same has now been approved by the director’s office.

The schools has been fined as schools, under Right to Education Act, are barred from conducting admission test or any kind of screening for admissions up to Class VIII.

As per Section 13 of the RTE Act, no school is authorized to collect any capitation fee while admitting a child. The child or his/her parents/guardian will not appear for any screening procedure. If the school subjects any prospective child to screening, then it “shall be punishable with a fine which may extend to Rs 25,000 for initial contravention and Rs 50,000 for subsequent contraventions”.

An officer of the education department, who did not want to be named, said they had received a complaint against the school earlier this month. “The school has admitted to having conducted the test. Recommendations have been made accordingly,” he said.

This is also not the first time that the school violated the RTE law. In 2016, the school refused to admit a handicapped child in Class VII. The father of the student had filed a complaint over this to the education department.

This incident occurred a month after the UT education department had issued a directive to all schools, asking them not to conduct tests till Class VIII after one of the private schools had advertised for admissions. Last year as well, a private school was fined by the education department for conducting admission tests for admission to Classes IV to VII. It was the first time a school was fined. A private school in Sector 27 had to withdraw the admission test.

