‘I thought my son was lucky to go to a pvt school, not anymore’
Seven-year old Bilaal, from Dharavi, is the first in his family to go to a private, English medium school, thanks to the Right to Education Act that sets aside a 25% quota for children from economically and socially weaker sections. But, the prestigious Matunga school he studies in did not allow him to write exams this year, as his family could not paid them Rs2,000 for books and uniform.
The school demands Rs2,000 every year, even though, under the RTE Act, books and uniform should be given for free. “The school says they charge us because the government doesn’t reimburse them for the books and uniform,” said Abdul. “They keep pressurising us.”
Last year, Bilaal got admission in the school through the quota. His father, Abdul, is a daily wage labourer and applied for admissions under the quota after local social workers told him about RTE “Our financial could never have afforded quality education for my kids,” said Abdul. His two other children were enrolled in municipal schools, but Abdul wasn’t happy with the kind of education they got there. “I thought my younger son was lucky to get admission in a private school ” when Bilaal could not write the exam. “My wife had started doing some tailoring work to raise money and pay the school, but we couldn’t collect enough,” said Abdul. He has complained to the education department, but no action has been taken so far. “This is not what I hoped for