Delhi DoE: Explore free EWS education beyond Class 8

New Delhi: Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) is assessing if students admitted through the economically weaker section (EWS) category in private schools can be offered free education beyond Class 8, according to officials of DoE.

In an order issued on Wednesday, DoE said that the matter was raised in the Vidhan Sabha on March 31 and the legislative assembly directed that a survey be conducted in this regard, according to Jai Prakash, deputy director of education, private school branch.

The order further directed DoE officials to collect necessary information from private schools operating on private lands. It has asked schools to provide details of students who completed Class 8 in the academic session 2021-22. It has also sought information about whether the student shifted to another school (government or private) or dropped out, along with a reason for the particular choice exercised by the student or the guardian. It was said that the required information should be provided by April 24.

The development comes days after the Delhi Vidhan Sabha’s Committee on Welfare of SC/STs recommended extending free education to all EWS/ disadvantaged groups (DG) in private schools from classes 8 to 12. The committee said that the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, entails free and compulsory education to all children aged 6-14 years, but the benefits are only provided up to Class 8 due to which many students in Delhi struggle to pay the fees, often resulting in dropouts.

Bharat Arora, president, Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools, a consortium of private schools, said that private schools were divided on the matter. “There is no clear consensus among schools. Some schools are of the view that the provisions should be extended while others feel that it will not be feasible for them to provide these concessions till Class 12. We have called a meeting of private schools to further deliberate on this issue,” said Arora.

Ekramul Haque, founder of Mission Taaleem, an organisation working with EWS children in Delhi, said that an extension of the provision was the need of the hour. He said that the Rajasthan government had extended the provision and others could also do so. “If other state governments can extend the provision, the Delhi government can also take this step. It’s important since education till Class 8 alone is not sufficient,” said Haque.