Almost 90% EWS seats in city’s pvt schools not filled in 2019-20

GURUGRAM: This year, only 977 students got admission in private schools in the city under the economically weaker sections (EWS), against 7,840 available seats, thus leaving 6,863 seats vacant. The data, revealed as a result of a Right to Information (RTI) inquiry, shows a steep rise in the number of students who got admission under the EWS category this year in comparison to 2018. Last year, 312 students were admitted to private schools under the category, and 11,318 seats which fell vacant.

However, officials of the education department said they don’t know why the number of available EWS seats have dropped this year.

“We don’t decide the number of seats available for students under the EWS category, and is decided by private schools themselves. It’s up to the private schools to keep seats for students who apply in the EWS category,” said Prem Lata Yadav, district elementary education officer.

Rule 134A of the Haryana School education rules makes it mandatory for private schools to reserve 10% seats for meritorious students belonging to the EWS category. Private schools cannot deny an EWS student admission, but the education department said there are many criteria that schools have set, and they do the checks and then carry out admissions themselves.

Nirmala Sheoran, block education officer, said, “Private schools carry out checks themselves to ascertain if a student applying under EWS category is genuinely eligible for the quota. Sometimes, admission is not given to students based on their checks.”

Private schools said they have to check credentials of all EWS candidates before giving them admission, and this results in a few applications getting rejected.

Rashmi Malik, principal, Salwan Public School, Sector 15, said, “When we receive a list of students who apply to our school under the EWS category, we have to examine whether they are eligible or not. When the checks are done, we sometimes find that the student doesn’t belong to the EWS category.”

Many schools have put up teams that go to a student’s house for checks. “The school checks the parents’ below poverty line (BPL) card, birth certificate and a stamp by the education department, which verifies all documents. To be doubly sure, we also send a team to the student’s residence to check whether the child stays there or not,” said Neeti Kaushik, principal, Mount Olympus School, Sector 47.

› The number of seats available for students under the EWS category is decided by private schools themselves. It’s up to them to reserve seats for those who apply in the category. PREM LATA YADAV, district elementary education officer

The RTI inquiry, filed by Aseem Takyar in October, asked the education department to reveal how many students got admission under the EWS category this year. Private schools are mandated to charge fees from students under the EWS category at the same rate as government schools. “Before April, all private schools have to notify the education department of how many seats they are reserving under the EWS category. Most schools don’t do so,” said an education department official said.

Students who want to take admission under EWS category have to give an examination, which was held in April this year.

“This year, around 3,500 students gave the EWS exam, of which around 1,500 managed to clear. The exams test a child’s knowledge of the basics of the main subjects taught in class,” Sheoran said.

Results of the exam were declared in April, and students who passed were eligible to apply for admissions.