RTE: Mayo College refuses admission to poor children

Mayo College Ajmer today told the Rajasthan High Court that it will not grant admission to 25 per cent students from the weaker sections as made mandatory under the Right To Education Act, saying it is not applicable to it.

Appearing for Mayo College administration in the High Court senior advocate said, "there will be no admission for weaker section students as the Supreme Court has clarified that boarding schools are not covered by Right to

Education Act and they are free to make their admission

policies. which heard a writ petition in this regard, senior

"It has further been clarified that Central government will issue a separate notification clarifying this position shortly as per direction of the Supreme Court," he argued.

Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had issued a notice dated November 21, 2011 to Mayo administration to scrap the admission procedure after it was reported that it had conducted entrance test and screening as also interviews of parents on December 21 and 22 last year in violation of RTE Act.

Besides, the local administration had also served a notice on the school to comply with the mandatory provision under Right to Education Act.

The Act mandates that poor, weaker section and disabled students should be given free education in their neighbourhood by all private schools. However, the minority run institutes are exempted.

The senior counsel said the Mayo College administration will not be bound by RTE Act to admit poor students as the apex court has clarified that schools which are running day-boarding are not governed by the RTE Act.

A writ petition was filed challenging the notice and direction of National Commission for Child Rights Protection and Ajmer administration requiring schools to undo the admissions made for current session and follow the provisions of the Act.

Today when the petition came up before the High Court, Bhandari told the bench that the controversy raised in the petition before the high court has been settled by an order of the Supreme Court passed and clarified in the case of unaided private schools of Rajasthan vs Union of India and as such the writ may be disposed off in the same light.

The bench than ordered the writ to be disposed off.