The Surat District Education Officer (DEO) has started the process of canceling the admissions of at least 100 students after learning that they were pretending to be from low-income families in order to obtain seats under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
According to DEO Bhagirathsinh Parmar, his office’s investigations showed a substantial disparity between the parents’ true financial situation and the information they gave at admission.
Parmar said, “The parents of these children have a lifestyle way beyond the means they have declared. They go on foreign tours, live in luxurious flats and bungalows and own businesses”.
Parmar clarified that in order to be admitted under the RTE quota, the income proof certificate is required. In response to school complaints, the DEO’s office opened an inquiry. He stated, “After gathering information, we discovered inconsistencies in the information they provided to gain admission”.
Parmar claims that among the data collected were details on parents who had been overseas, owned opulent homes, owned textile industries and shrimp farms, and had automobiles and motorcycles.
Additionally, he mentioned that some of them had loans between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 60 lakh. Many parents either stayed mute or failed to give adequate responses when questioned. “We have told them that they need to pay the school fees if they want their children to continue their education,” Parmar said. If so, they ought to get a departure certificate and look for another place to be admitted.
After being called by the authorities, parents of more than 20 pupils who were admitted through the RTE quota in L P Savani and S D Jain schools attended hearings at the DEO office on Friday.
Six weeks ago, the crackdown started after it was discovered that a number of pupils admitted under the RTE Act were from wealthy households. According to the Act, 25% of places in private schools must be set aside for children from disadvantaged and weaker social groups between the ages of six and 14.
According to sources, the DEO staff went to students’ houses in person to evaluate their true financial circumstances. Officials discovered differences between the parents’ testimonies and the documentation presented for admission during the more than 150 parent hearings that were held over the course of the last month.
In order for parents to be eligible for RTE admissions, their yearly income must not surpass Rs 1.50 lakh in urban areas or Rs 1.20 lakh in rural regions.
Parmar affirmed that the hearings and verification procedure will go on. He continued, “So far, we have covered nine schools out of the 1,000 schools in Surat that provide admission through RTE”.
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