Fix government schools first, Delhi told

COURT SAYS GOVERNMENT CANNOT TAKE AWAY AUTONOMY OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS WHEN ITS OWN ARE FAILING

The Delhi High Court yesterday told the Aam Aadmi Party government to “set its house in order” by administering its schools and improving them instead of trying to “take over” the admission process of private schools.

“One major reason for all this is the poor state of public schools. No one is addressing that issue. Those people [government] who can’t administer a public school are trying to take over admissions of private schools.

“Please set your house in order. Then there would be no reason for people to rush to private schools,” Justice Manmohan said.

62 criteria

He made the observation while issuing notice to the Delhi government and asking it to respond to the pleas by private schools seeking quashing of government’s January 6 order scrapping 62 criteria, including management quota, for nursery admissions.

The court also expressed doubts over scrapping of all 62 criteria, except for some like quotas for children whose parents were vegetarians, non-alcoholics or non-smokers. Such criteria, if being implemented by any private school for admissions, amounts to maladministration, the court said.

It, however, clarified that parents as of now can apply even as per the 62 criteria, but “scrutiny of applications would be subject to final orders” in the petitions by Forum for Promotion of Quality Education and Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools.

The court said the government cannot take away the autonomy of private schools, especially by an office order which has not been passed under any statutory provision.

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also said that, in its November 28, 2014 verdict scrapping the point system of nursery admissions devised by the Lt Governor for private unaided schools, it had told the government to amend the statute.

“But you do nothing and come out with another office order. Why do you [govt] do it at the last moment,” it asked.

Response in a week

To this, Delhi said it had asked schools to upload the criteria by December 8 last year but they did so by December end.

The court directed the government to file its response in a week and listed the matter for hearing on January 28.

The two associations, which represent a number of private unaided schools in the national capital, contended that the government cannot take away their autonomy with regard to nursery admissions when the same has been upheld by the high court and the Supreme Court.

They said they were not trying to champion the cause of all the scrapped 62 criteria, except a few like management quota.

The school bodies also asked how when the high court’s earlier verdict had not been set aside, the government could now come out with the January 6 order.