ALL INDIA PARENTS ASSOCIATION AGARWAL BHAVAN,

16.03.2010

To,

Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely,
Hon’ble Minister of Education,
Government of NCT Delhi,
New Delhi.

Sir,

It has been our relentless endeavor for many years to represent that all State provided School Education (MCD, NDMC, Cantonment Board, Government) should be administered by one unified body i.e. Government of NCT of Delhi. We have also represented that various levels of Schools (e.g. Government School, M.C.D. Schools, Pratibha Vikas Vidyalya, Sarvodya Shiksha Sansthan etc.) should be brought to a level which is minimum equivalent to the level of Kendriya Vidyalay Sangathan. Since education is a State matter and after 1st April 2010 when provisions of the Right to Education Act will come in to force it will also becomes the statutory duty of the Delhi government to implement the Act and to impart education to all the children of Delhi without discrimination of any kind. If the various agencies will remain responsible for imparting education in various parts of Delhi and more over if some of these agencies are out of the control/purview of the Delhi Government it will give rise to a situation where though the Government is responsible for the implementation of the Act and for imparting Compulsory and Quality education to the children of Delhi, but the agencies which are imparting education are out of the control/purview of the Government. It has been observed that the infrastructure of certain agency are underutilized and schools are being closed down and School buildings are being utilized for commercial purposes or for the purposes other than Educational purposes and on the other hand Schools run by some other agency are overcrowded thereby hampering the quality of education. Had all the schools being administered by a unified agency the problem of optimum utilization of resources could have also been handled in a much efficient manner. The case quoted below highlights the possibility of denial of Right to Education to the children of Delhi on non-consequential grounds such as place of residence, if there remain more than one agency responsible for imparting Education in Delhi. Government on the other hand cannot do much to remove such anomality since it cannot regulate these agencies. Recently, the Election Commission of India, under Delimitation Process, had made certain changes in the areas of constituencies, consequent upon which the area of Minto Road and Mata Sundri Road, which were previously under Minto Road Constituency/New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency now fall under the Matia Mahal/Chandni Chowk Constituency. After the delimitation process the authorities of Navyug School, Tilak Lane, Tilak Marg, New Delhi administered by New Delhi Municipal Committee (N.D.M.C.) have refused admissions to the children of area of Minto Road, and Mata Sundri Road, New Delhi on the pretext that the said area no longer falls in the New Delhi Parliament Constituency, although the eligibility criteria of admission in the said school is that the ward should live within a radius of 5KM from the school and have a Sibling studying in the same school being fulfilled by the children of the said area. Till last year the children of the above mentioned areas were admitted and are studying in the above mentioned school. The said reason behind denying admission to such children is inconsequential; moreover the change is not even brought about by the Education Department. The change has no relationship whatsoever to the purpose of good education that the children of this school should get at an expenses that the parents coming from economically backward classes of the children living in Minto Road and Mata Sundri Road area, can afford. The children, being from economically weaker section will now not be able to afford education from private school and in the vicinity there is no other equally or similarly good school run by the State, thus will in all practical situation remain deprived of the education and ultimately their Right to Education. In the above mentioned case as a result the children are being not only denied their Right to Education but also the Right to Equality both Fundamental Rights ensured by the Constitution of India. Since these children are not being treated on equal footing by the school authorities to their counterparts who are living in New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency and would get the admission. As per the Constitution of India citizens cannot be discriminated against based upon anything and surely not on the basis of place of residence. This is a Gross Discrimination. Sir we have also been demanding that all the Schools in Delhi except unaided private Schools should be administered by a unified agency responsible for imparting Education in Delhi or the Government of NCT Delhi and all these schools should be brought to the same level equivalent to the level of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathans. The recommendation of the N.C.E.R.T Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr. Ashok Agarwal prominent Social Jurist apart from other has recommended that: The right of all children to equal opportunities would render the ‘Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas’ and their mode of selective admission as being contrary to the spirit of the Act, at least till the end of class eight or up to the age of Fourteen years. Copy of NCERT Expert Committee report is attached hereto for your kind consideration. Under the light of above mentioned Facts it is requested that You may kindly indulge Office of your Good self to ensure 1. That there should a unified Agency to administer all State provided School Education under the direct control of the Government of NCT Delhi. 2. That all state run School may be brought to the same level equivalent to the level of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. So that objectives of the Right to Education could be achieved without compromising the objectives of the Right to Equality. We also request you to give us appointment so that AIPA delegation may meet and discuss the issues in detail with you.

ASHOK AGARWAL
(President All India Parents Association)
(M) 9811101923

• CBSE Bye-Laws
• Affiliation of Schools to the Council
• Modern School Case