State to draft new law for pre-primary admissions ……..Prafulla Marpakwar I TNN
Mumbai: Shocked by the huge donationsfrom Rs 20,000 to Rs 2 lakhcharged by a section of leading schools in the city for the admission to pre-primary classes, the school education department, led by Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, is set to bring in new rules to stop the commercialisation of pre-primary education.
After taking over the reins of the school education department, Vikhe-Patil felt that a new policy was needed for admission to KG and nursery classes. We dont have any policy, which has resulted in the largescale commercialisation of pre-primary education. We have asked the department to study every aspect and then come up with a new policy, Vikhe-Patil told TOI.
According to a senior education department official, an attempt to gain control over nursery and KG admissions was first made by the erstwhile Sena-BJP government in 1996. Following discussions with heads of leading educational institutions, former vice-chancellor Ram Joshi drafted comprehensive rules, which stated that there would be no interviews and priority would be given to local students. Subsequently, then chief minister Manohar Joshi played an important role in promulgating an ordinance, which was repealed on the grounds that it had adverse impact on the rights of schools controlled by minority organisations.
The official said while the state, at present, had full control of primary and secondary schools, there was no particular rule for nursery and KG classes. With no law in place, anyone can start a nursery or KG school without the permission of the education department. More shocking is the fact that they charge exorbitant fees or donations, ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs two lakh, he said.
On the proposed policy, the official said it has been decided to study the previous ordinance, the issues raised before the high court and the steps taken by other states to end commercialisation of pre-primary education. Mumbai is not alone, several major cities faced similar problems. We are in the process of gathering information from these cities. Once the exercise is over, we will come up with a new policy, he said.
About the intake capacity, the official said department records show there are 12,929 schools controlled by the state board in Mumbai-Thane area, while 110 schools report to the central boards, such as ICSE, CBSE, IB and IG-CSE. Since nursery and KG schools are not registered, we dont have their exact number, he said.
UNDER SCANNER
Schools affiliated to state board: 12,929