Private schools in Delhi are still undecided over their next step following Delhi government's announcement of scrapping nursery admissions under management quota and would seek legal opinion before arriving at a decision.
A decision could not be reached today in a meeting of Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools of which 400 reputed schools are members. Though the members resolved to take up the matter with their legal cell to decide on further strategy.
"Private schools are not agitated over scrapping of the management quota but the larger question here is of autonomy which has been guaranteed to us by the Supreme Court and the Constitution. We held a meeting today and it was decided that the matter be referred to our legal cell," said S K Bhattacharya, President of the Action Committee.
"We might move court against the decision, we might adopt a different stand. It will be clear in a day or two after consultations with the legal cell," he added.
In a far-reaching decision, the government had earlier this week scrapped management quota and all other reservations except the EWS category in private schools for nursery admissions and warned that erring institutions can be taken over by the Education department.
The Action Committee, which had moved court in 2014 after Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had notified the scrapping of quota then, also said the matter is still sub-judice and hence, the announcement amounts to "contempt of court".
A Single Bench had then granted autonomy to the schools to decide the quotas.
The government had challenged the judgment seeking a stay before a Division Bench, but the matter is still pending. A hearing in the matter will come up on January 21.
Ashok Pandey, principal of Alcohon International Schools and chairman of National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC) said, "Any order by the government at this stage is surprising especially when the admissions have already begun as it will create further confusion for parents.
R C Jain, chairperson of Delhi State Public Schools'
Management Association, which has over 2,000 schools as its members, said, "Having management quota or not having it is schools' autonomy, the government can't snatch that right. If there is any corruption in the name of quota or there is exchange of money, the government can impose a check but why scrap it altogether?
The government has also scrapped 62 "arbitrary and discriminatory" criteria listed by the schools on their websites for admissions. However, the 25 per cent quota for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will stay.
The decision came in the mid of the admission process for nursery classes in over 2,500 private schools in the capital.
