55% private unaided schools screen EWS applicants, 10% take admission fees from them : DCPCR Study -Shreya Roy Chowdhury

-The Times of India

NEW DELHI: There are more violations of the law with with regard to EWS/DG (economically weaker section/disadvantaged group) admissions in private schools.

A new study by Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and Save the Children has found that 52% of MCD-unaided and 55% of DoE-unaided schools are "following screening procedure in the admission of EWS/DG". Screening of candidates --- essentially selecting candidates on the basis of criteria other than distance from school --- is banned under the Right to Education Act 2009 which introduced the 25% free-ship quota.

The study also reveals that 13% of MCD-unaided and 9% of DoE-unaided schools also charge admission fee from these candidates.

The report on the Status of Implementation of Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act and Rules in Delhi also found that only 57% of schools accept a declaration from parents as proof of age; there is "lack of clarity" in the implementation of continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE). "Qualitative data from the teachers... revealed that implementing the CCE pattern involves many group activities which require lot of preparation time, after the school hours. This cannot be done on a regular basis as there are certain activities teachers have to do after school hours," says the report.

Interestingly, corporal punishment is still used in 7% schools, with DoE-unaided (private) schools (17%) and DoE-aided schools (13%) accounting for most of it. "Few boys said that they were sometimes hit by a pen or made to stand on one leg if they failed to pay attention in class," says the report.

School Management Committees have been formed in 96% of schools but the report confirms what activists have long known - they aren't particularly effective. A third of them don't meet even once in two months - the minimum required - and only 26% perform all the functions prescribed to them by the Delhi RTE Rules, including monitoring the working of the school and preparation of midday meals, meeting with parents etc.

Moreover, parent representation in the SMCs - at an average of 64% is far lower than the 75% mandated by the Delhi RTE Rules. Parents have been appointed vice-chairperson in only 55% cases where the rule requires only a parent to occupy that post.

Infrastructure is one parameter on which nearly all schools perform well though only 67% have accessible toilets. Very few heads of school reported having received any complaints of discrimination on the premises - this could also be because awareness is at 58%—though more than half of the ones that have come were from NDMC schools. In 58% of the cases, the complaint has been of "students discriminating with other students".

For the study, 416 schools from a variety of managements (Delhi Cantonment Board, all three municipal corporations, NDMC, Directorate of Education, aided and private-unaided) were covered. Interviews of head teachers were conducted, school observation visits were made and focus group discussions were organized.

The Study

Total no. of schools covered by the RTE survey: 416 across 9 districts

DCB: 3; DoE: 74; DoE-aided: 18; DoE-unaided: 95; municipal: 140; municipal-aided: 4; municipal-unaided: 61; NDMC: 7

Schools excluded: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rashtriya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, minority schools, residential schools (ashram shalas)

The Findings:

B) Governance

57% accept self-declaration by parents as proof of age; remaining 43% demand other document - a clear violation

CCE implementation -- Only 47% maintain "over all records of the students progress". In DOE unaided, compliance is 53%, 48% in DOE schools and 63% in DOE-aided

Only 63% schools had teachers with CCE training. No MCD-aided school had.

96% schools have SMCs; close to a third don't met once in two months - the minimum

45% SMCs don't have a parent as vice-chairperson

At an average of 64%, parents' representation in the SMCs is lower than the prescribed 75%

Only 26% SMCs performing all the functions required

Only 33% schools maintain all the types of records

C) Infrastructure:

* Only 67% have accessible toilets.

D) Inclusion

Awareness of Pupil Cumulative Record: An average of only 45% maintained overall records of students' progress and 40% said they "don't know."

Teachers check students understanding of topic "continuously" in only 54% schools

There's use of corporal punishment at 7% schools with DOE-Aided (13%) and DOE-un-aided (17%) accounting for most of it.

54% follow "screening procedure" for admitting EWS children and 10% take admissions charges

E) State-level measures:

Only 58% aware of grievance redress mechanisms

In the category of complaints of discrimination that the schools received, 58% were cases of "students discriminating with other students" and 17% each of "discrimination in teaching" and "discrimination in seating arrangement."