NEW DELHI: The parents of several students studying in a private school under the economically weaker section (EWS) category protested on Monday outside the deputy district education (DDE) office in Vikaspuri, demanding that the department must act against the institute for allegedly not following the rules like providing books and uniforms for free.
The parents said they had to protest as the authorities had not been paying any heed to their demand and their children at Maxfort School in west Delhi’s Paschim Vihar had been without books for the past six months. Earlier, 24 parents had signed a letter and submitted the complaint to the education department.
Seema, one of the parents whose child is in Class V, said, “It is difficult for us to afford all expenses, that’s why we have admitted our children under the quota. But in the past few years, I had been buying books and uniforms as I did not know that the school has to provide them. Following our complaint, the school had called us, but was giving only five books.” Seema runs a small shop while her husband works in a private company. The child has been studying in the school since nursery.
The school did not respond to a call from TOI on the matter. No comment was also available from the DDE office.
Another parent, Parshuram, whose child is in Class III, said, “From the education department to Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, we have knocked at everyone’s door, but no one is ready to listen to us. Protest was the only way to make them listen.” He said the school and the parents had been asked to come to the office on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
In February, Delhi High Court had asked the government to explain why it hadn’t complied with the order to give free uniforms and textbooks to the EWS students. The court was hearing a petition seeking proper implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009. Earlier, too, the court had passed similar orders.
Subhash, whose child studies in Class III, said, “Our children’s half-yearly examination are due, yet they are without books for the past six months. We also have to buy the uniform. If the government is reimbursing the schools, why are they not giving it to us?”
