Right to Education cannot be implemented in ICSE or CBSE schools

The Tamil Nadu government told the Madras High Court on Tuesday that it cannot enforce the Right to Education (RTE) Act in CBSE and ICSE schools since they are not subject to the government’s fee structure, as opposed to matriculation institutions.

When a case submitted by V Eswaran, Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam of Coimbatore, challenging admissions under the RTE Act came up for hearing, State GP A Edwin Prabhakar made the reply before the first bench of acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq.

The petitioner’s attorney said that while the Andhra Pradesh government has created guidelines to allow admission regardless of distance, some state schools are refusing admissions based on the one-kilometre rule between the residence and the school.

Since the state government has the authority to do so, he urged the court to order schools that use the CBSE and ICSE curricula to also fall under the RTE Act.

However according to the government, it sets the matriculation school cost structure and pays the fees for students accepted under the RTE Act quota based on this structure. Nevertheless, the Act cannot be implemented in CBSE and ICSE schools since the government is unable to alter their fee schedule.

He also informed the court that there are two government-run schools nearby: an elementary school and a middle school. Of the approximately 5,000 schools, there are excess teachers, but the student population is extremely low. causes the government to bear financial burdens.

The bench continued the matter until 18th June for an additional hearing, directing the government to produce a thorough report on the number of applications for admission filed under the RTE Act and the number of admissions granted.

Right to Education cannot be implemented in ICSE or CBSE schools: FAQs

The answers to the commonly asked questions (FAQs) about the RTE are provided here.

1. Do ICSE schools have to implement RTE?

• According to the RTE Act, private schools, CBSE, and ICSE schools (apart from minority institutions) are required to offer 25% of their seats as free.

2. What is the CBSE, or the Right to Education Act?

• With the President of India’s approval, the Parliament passed the “RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009,” which established free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of six and fourteen.

3. What is the RTE Act in Tamil Nadu?

• RTE TN School Admission 2024-25 – rte.tnschools.gov.in 2024
  The major goal of TN RTE (Right to Education) admission is to ensure that all children, particularly those from economically disadvantaged families and marginalized communities, have access to free and compulsory education in private unaided schools.