HC seeks response of Centre, Delhi on plea on EWS students

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Central and Delhi government to file response on a PIL seeking a change in the law to ensure students from poor families who pass Class 8 from private schools can complete their education up to the senior secondary level.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar asked the central and Delhi government to file response on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by civil rights group Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal, who has sought directions on extending Section 12 (1)(C) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act beyond Class 8 and up to Class 12.

The court has slated the matter for further hearing on September 26.

The petitioner has told the court that it will help avoid interruption in studies, harassment of students of certain categories after passing Class 8 and help them in completing their basic education.

"After Class 8, students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and other disadvantaged groups are asked by schools authorities to leave because they are incapable of affording fee from Class 9 onwards," the plea said and added that such students are left with the only option to join government schools.

"Since government schools are Hindi-medium, these will not only be highly prejudicial to students' interest but also defeat the very object of providing free education in an unaided private school," the plea added.

"Their parents are not in a position to pay hefty fees in unaided private schools from Class 9 onwards," it added.

The PIL also contended that apart from the different mediums of instructions, the academic atmosphere is different in government and private schools, which will cause prejudice to the said students by not letting them complete education till Class 12.

--IANS

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