The Supreme Court has upheld the 25% quota for poor in private schools. The decision is intended to bridge the divide between the rich and the poor, say most citizens of the city. Hyderabad Hans talked to several of them to find out their take on the court decision. Most voiced the feeling that the decision is welcome, however, there remain questions—how will it be implemented? There is also concern about how some private school will still fight the provision using loopholes in laws.
The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the various provisions of the Right to Education Act is a great move. We appreciate the judgement which will go a long way in realising the right to education for all children. This decision will not only benefit children from the poor and the marginalised sections of society in gaining equity and qualitative education, but also pave way for others to understand the hardships of these children. This decision will encourage all parents, child rights protection forum members, government officials and all NGOs to put in more efforts for protection of child rights.
The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the various provisions of the Right to Education Act is a great move. We appreciate the judgement which will go a long way in realising the right to education for all children. This decision will not only benefit children from the poor and the marginalised sections of society in gaining equity and qualitative education, but also pave way for others to understand the hardships of these children. This decision will encourage all parents, child rights protection forum members, government officials and all NGOs to put in more efforts for protection of child rights.-R Venkat Reddy, National convenor, MV Foundation
I feel that ultimately the verdict is unimplementable. Corporate schools are not willing to provide education for the downtrodden sections. They also do not have social responsibility. Corporate schools have become commercial centres, particularly with regard to secondary education that is up to class VIII. They charge Rs 3 lakh per annum. If this rule is implemented, they will have a huge loss. They are sure to file a counter petition. The Constitution gives every citizen the right to do business of their choice. Based on this, the corporate schools will fight in the court of law against this verdict. Until and unless this article is not deleted from the Constitution, this verdict will be never implemented. The government should have power to implement it, but it seems like they are supporting the corporate schools.-K Ravichandar, President, AP Residential Schools Teachers Association
In my opinion, the RTE is the way to increase the opportunities of good and quality education for all sections of society. In Gitanjali Devshala, we already have a certain percentage of seats reserved for disadvantaged children and we will follow the stipulations of the RTE if we have to. There is a lot of ambiguity in the provisions of the Act and a lot of the clarifications need to be given in the context of locality, fees, and the deciding authorities for admissions. However, I still think that the government does need to improve the facilities and the standard of government schools so that the entire burden of providing quality education does not fall on the shoulders of private unaided schools.-Madhvi Chandra, Principal, Gitanjali Devshala, Secunderabad.
The initiative by government to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor through education is noble. How to integrate students from backward classes into mainstream is the challenge before schools. The integration should be smooth. The Jain Group has been giving education to children from socially and economically weaker classes by taking 1 rupee as fees. At Jain Vidyaniketan, our school in Bengaluru, we provide tuitions, food and international syllabus since 1997-98. Whatever the government or Supreme Court decides, we will be happy to accept. -Chandrashekar D P, COO, The JGI Group
It is a welcome move. However, I don’t think that schools will be happy about this verdict, as they mint money under the guise of education. So, for them it will be a huge loss. Against all odds, if this verdict is implemented, then the government should also see that the children from poorer sections should are not discriminated against by the authorities. The government should also counsel parents to send their wards to school regularly;otherwise this verdict will have a slow death-P Indernath, retired employee
I think such "mandated" provisions can always be avoided by those who don't want to comply. I am all for schools that are open to everyone in the community, but this should become a voluntary practice by schools rather than being forced. How we do that is a challenge of course.
-Usha Raman, Associate Professor, Dept of Communication, UOH
The government should strictly implement this judgement from this academic year itself. Most private schools have already completed their admission process and the government should properly monitor all these schools and put pressure on the managements to implement this Act properly. The right to education is fundamental, and, after 65 years of Independence, the Supreme Court has directed the government to implement the RTE Act. Now the govt should take necessary action to implement it in all the private schools so that backward and marginalised people will get quality education. -B. Pravesh Kumar, Ex President, HPS Ramanthapur Parents Association
“It’s a good move. The right to education is very important. Including children from poor sections of society is a better option than giving reservation. The quota system should be abolished as there will be no need for reservation in the education system. 
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