Bangalore:
Parents who were dropping their children to school on Friday morning were puzzled to see members of a political party protesting outside.
The demonstration was the result of a notice sent to all parents by the Bethany High School in Bangalore which reads like a warning against the dangers of the Right to Education Act. The circular points out once the Act comes into effect in June 2011, the school is obliged to admit any child who lives in the neighbourhood. The school also states that it will not have the authority to expel any child, even in cases of indiscipline. This, the school suggests, could "disturb the psyche of all children."
The Right to Education, passed by the government earlier this year, states that private schools will have to reserve upto 25 % of their seats for children who are economically-disadvantaged. No child who lives nearby can be denied admission, or be subjected to take any test.
Education Minister Kapil Sibal believes schools like this one in Bangalore are subversively campaigning among parents to undermine that.
"I think the parents must realize that inclusive education does not mean that only the disadvantaged has an access - but that each child is unique and they are allowed to flourish with the quality he possesses," said Sibal.
Whether or not the school wanted to incite fear and resentment of the new Act, that seems to be the effect. "It will definitely benefit some children, but it is not right if they cannot be expelled even if they do something wrong," says C Shanti, a parent.
The school denies that it wanted to undermine one of the main provisions of the new Act - education for children irrespective of their economic background. But its officials say they're well within their rights to express their concerns to parents. "Today, we have no clarity whether the teacher will have the right to correct the children... I think the school should have the teeth and tail to manage the children. Because if we do not have that 'authority' we will not be able to bring up a good human being," says R Natarajan, a spokesperson for the school.