Form mechanism to hear grievances under RTE Act: Maharashtra HC to government

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court today asked Maharashtra government to devise a mechanism to hear grievances of students who do not get admission in private schools under Right to Education ( RTE) Act.

The division bench headed by Justice Anoop Mohta was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the government's decision to exclude pre-primary classes from the purview of the Act.

The bench asked the government to file a reply to the petitions within a week.

The petitions challenge a government resolution (GR) of April 30 which says that provisions of RTE Act will apply from class I to class VIII but not to the pre-primary classes.

The GR cancelled admissions granted under RTE quota in nursery, junior KG and senior KG classes of private schools.

The petitions claim that admissions of more than 30,000 students from under-privileged sections of society were cancelled as a result.

One of the PILs says that children admitted to junior KG last year under RTE quota will have to discontinue education for one year. Moreover, the admissions were cancelled without giving parents the chance to find an alternative, it says.