BHOPAL: Tired of delay in receiving fee reimbursement from the school education department, CBSE and MP Board-affiliated private schools of state capital have decided to move the Madhya Pradesh high court (MPHC).

Private School Owners Association Bhopal secretary Ajit Singh says, over 1,008 private schools in Bhopal gave admission to underprivileged students under the Act in 2016-17 academic session are yet to receive reimbursement.

The school education department, for its part, however, disagrees with private schools argument saying they failed to upload information on the Right to Education (RTE) Act portal. Rajay Shiksha Kendra (RSK) director Lokesh Kumar Jatav said, “Shifting to online system of fee reimbursement and admissions under the RTE is one of our measures to plug loopholes in admission. We will not reimburse fee unless schools provide Aadhaar information of such students.”

“We have prepared all evidence, which will prove blunders committed by the state government while issuing Aadhaar cards and Samagra IDs. We cannot wait any more. We have decided to approach the HC against the department of school education,” said Singh.

After the state government made Aadhaar mandatory for online registration system to claim reimbursement, private schools have been struggling to provide student information on the RTE’s online portal.

While schools blame the state government for issuing Aadhaar cards with mistakes, the school department maintains some schools have committed financial irregularities.

Members of private schools’ association has alleged the RSK is trying to hush up the Rs 19 crore RTE scam in which former district project coordinator (DPC) Samar Singh Rathore was suspended for committing irregularities.

“Blaming schools is a ploy to hush up Rs 19 crore fraud committed by the department officials. We are documenting records to be produced before the court,” Singh said.

After mismatch in information on RTE students available with schools and Samagra and Aadhaar Ids, the department outrightly said “Fee cannot be reimbursed unless schools provide students’ record and information of government-approved identity.”

Almost all private schools in Bhopal are under the ambit of the RTE and as per private school management says the RSK owes schools crores of rupees for 2015-16 and 2016-17.

The RTE Act 2009 ensures reservation of 25% seats in entry-level classes in primary schools for children belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged categories.

