TRSMA raises concerns over harassment of budget private schools

Prelims-testable facts

• 01The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years.
• 02The Act prohibits commercialization of education and ensures that no child is denied admission to any educational institution due to non-payment of fees.
• 03Private schools are required to reserve 25% of their seats for students from economically weaker sections (EWS) under the RTE Act.
• 04The EWS quota in private schools is subject to a maximum limit of 50% of the total student strength, as per the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) committee recommendations.
• 05The TRSMA has raised concerns over the harassment of budget private schools by state governments and local authorities under various pretexts.
• 06Budget private schools are those that charge fees lower than the maximum limit prescribed by the state government or a fee regulatory body.

Trap alerts

• Most people think that private schools are not required to follow the RTE Act, but actually they must comply with its provisions and reserve seats for EWS students.
• Most people think that budget private schools can charge any fees they want, but actually their fees are subject to regulation by state governments or fee regulatory bodies.