Quota is mandatory for poor in schools: Sibal

Bangalore, Sep 7: Children who come from poor families should be reserved with 25 percent of seats in all private schools and its violation would be punished, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal said on Monday, Sep 6.

"We will not budge an inch from this mandatory provision in the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, as we want to give opportunity to all poor children to study in private schools," Sibal told sources.

The government enforced the RTI Act Apr 1, 2010 ensuring free and compulsory education to all children between six and 14 years, including those below poverty line.

"If private schools do not comply with the provision, they will not be allowed to function, as it will be difficult to achieve the goal of inclusive education otherwise," asserted Sibal.

The national commission for protection of child rights has been mandated to monitor the implementation of the act and they will also set up a toll free helpline in order to register complaints against schools who violate in the RTE Act.

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