Geetanjali Krishna: Right to a Good Education

Having studied in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across the country thanks to my father's transferable government job, I've always had a healthy respect for them. To be able to maintain consistent academic standards in places as remote as Keylong and as mainstream as Delhi's Andrew's Ganj, is no mean feat. Growing up, I understood what a boon KVs were to peripatetic students such as myself, but it's only recently that I've come to realise that even people with more static lives think of them in the same way. It's that time of the year when some of the capital's Kendriya Vidyalayas have declared seat vacancies, and I've coincidentally met several parents of hopeful aspirants. None of them have transferable jobs; all of them have children studying in other government and private schools in Delhi.
 

"My elder son has just completed his schooling from the Kendriya Vidyalaya near our house. We were so happy with the teaching and infrastructure there," said Meena, whose husband is a street vendor. In contrast, they've not had a good experience with the government school their daughter, who just competed Class V, goes to. "Teachers hardly teach there! She's hardly getting an education..." she said. That's why Meena and her husband are keen that she gets admission into KV. "Last year, when we applied, we were told that only a quarter of the seats were available to students from the economically weaker section (EWS) category. There were so many applicants that, according to Supreme Court guidelines, the KV picked them out using a lottery system," she said. Unsurprisingly, they didn't make the final list. This year the couple is applying with renewed desperation. "As she gets older, I feel that the quality of education in her school will drop to such an extent that she won't be able to compete with students from other, better schools..." Meena said.

Was private schooling an option for people like her, I wondered? Then I spoke to Rajesh, a driver who was also trying to get his son admitted in Class VI in Kendriya Vidyalaya. "My younger son is in a private school. He gets homework every day and has several tests a week, so I'm quite satisfied with the quality of education. But I've to pay almost Rs 2,000 per month as fees!" he said. "Then, there's the added cost of projects, sports and special dresses for sports and annual days... I've somehow managed so far, but it is getting increasingly difficult to send both children to private schools on my salary," he added. With a monthly fee of about Rs 600, KV offers Rajesh the optimal mix of affordable fees and quality education. Waiting for the results of the KV lottery to be announced, both Meena and Rajesh have been disheartened by whispers of parents using influence to get their wards admission in KV. "We don't know anyone influential enough," said Meena. Rajesh said that he had tried to request his local MLA to put in a good word. "But he said there's such a huge demand for KV seats that he won't be able to help," he said.

The long queues for Kendriya Vidyalaya seats underscore basic questions that India's Right to education (RTE) Act has left unanswered. If EWS students such as Meena's daughter aren't being able to access the high-quality schooling they deserve, what is the point of asserting that they have a legal and fundamental right to education? With access to free schooling in government schools, why should Rajesh send his sons to a private school he can ill afford? What we need, perhaps, is a modified act - Meena, Rajesh and other people like them don't need just RTE, but RTGE - Right to a Good Education...