Notice to government on plea for amendment to Right To Education Act

NEW DELHI: The Centre was asked today by the Delhi High Court to respond to a plea for amendment to the Right To Education (RTE) Act to make it recognise home-based studies and alternate schooling too as education, besides the one acquired through formal schooling.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked the central government's standing counsel Jatan Singh to file the response by April 18.

In a plea made through counsel Somnath Bharti, petitioner Shreya Sahai said section 18 of RTE Act does not recognise any other mode of imparting education except the one through formal schooling.

"The benefits of all children aged 6-14 years and their parents who feel threatened because their right to choose a mode of education for primary education stands violated as the Act restricts the same only to a formal school," she said.

All other modes of imparting education, except a formal school, like home-schooling, alternate schools of education and the schools not subscribing to the norms and curriculum mandated in the Act stand declared illegal under section 18 and 19 of the Act, said the petition.

"Subscribers of the academics check tests conducted by the government established National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) feel threatened of the discontinuance of the same in view of the impugned Act," the petitioner said.

Seeking the court to quash the RTE provisions as they are violative of the fundamental rights of the children, the petitioner said include homeschooling and alternate education schools in the "specified category" and also allow NIOS continue imparting education to children.