Edu dept to crack down on frauds in EWS admissions

NEW DELHI: The education department of Delhi government is likely to come up with new plans to check frauds in school admissions in the economically weaker sections (EWS) category.

The government has already made the entire procedure of applying for EWS admissions online, to rein in frauds.

The issue arose after a Delhi businessman, arrested for allegedly impersonating as a slum dweller to secure his son’s admission in Sanskriti school under the EWS quota, told police he had lived in a slum for 10 days to use the address as residential proof.

“The target of the government would be to control fraud cases. We started the initiative by making the full system online. We believe that through use of proper technology, these elements can be controlled,” said a source in the government.

She added that though it is very difficult to understand how fraudulent elements work in this system, it may be resovled be using a more transparent system.

“The government is very concerned about the issue and we will reform the system, so that children from poor families are not neglected,” she said.

Earlier, the Delhi government had warned all private schools in the Capital against asking for Aadhaar number of children, while admitting them in entrylevel classes under the EWS or the disadvantaged group (DG) categories and refusing admission to such students on grounds of their distance from home.

“Private unaided recognised schools are directed to ensure and facilitate admission of the selected candidates of EWS/ DG category in the respective class, without creating any hindrance,” the Directorate of Education (DOE) had said in a letter to the schools.

“The schools should not ask for Aadhaar number of the children and income certificate from those EWS category parents who submit a copy of BPL/FOOD Security Card issued by Food and Civil Supply Department,” it stated.

Several complaints of “multiple entries” in the list of selected candidates seeking admissions in entry-level classes under the EWS/DG categories have surfaced this year.

The development comes a day after the DOE began the process of EWS admisions in around 1,700 private schools across Delhi.