AAP demands RTE extension till class 10

Bengaluru: Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) has demanded an amendment to the Right to Education (RTE) Act to extend its scope to classes IX and X. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, AAP leader Usha Mohan said,

"The RTE Act 2009 ensures free and compulsory education to all children between the age group of 6-14. But, private schools are demanding huge fees from poor students in classes IX and X. Students who are unable to pay fees are being forced to drop out. Therefore, the State government should amend the Act in the interests of poor students."

She added that several parents have been financially burdened owing to Covid-19 and lockdown with reduced salaries. "The RTE should be amended in this regard to apply from 2020-2021. State government must also bear the two-year tuition fees for classes IX and X students during the Covid years."

AAP threatened to take the fight on a larger scale if Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Education Minister BC Nagesh continued to ignore the plight of these students. "Unable to pay fees in private schools, poor and middle-class students are trying to join government schools but are not getting their transfer certificates.

We demand that the government take stringent action against such educational institutions that are trying to take advantage of the poor," said president of Chikpet ward, AAP, Gopinath. He added that the Karnataka government should also try to make arrangements to enrol students in government schools without a need for a transfer certificate, as is the practice in Delhi government schools.