Setting up KVs in each tehsil is govt's call: HC

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court said on Tuesday that setting up of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in every tehsil across the country was a policy decision of the Centre and left it to the government to take a call on the issue raised in a PIL.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said that whether to set up central schools in every tehsil or making it mandatory to study 'aims, objects and basic structure of the Constitution' in classes I-VIII, as sought in the petition, was a decision which the government has to take.

It left it to the central government to consider the issues raised by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay in his plea and disposed of the matter. Upadhyay, also a lawyer, had claimed in his plea that "unity in diversity is observed and celebrated" in the KVs as these schools have students from all parts of a state and "equal opportunities are provided to all students in spite of their religious, territorial differences".

"The low fee structure of Kendriya Vidyalayas will help the poor students in getting a quality education along with an exposure to the competitive world. The establishment of KVs will encourage nearby schools to provide a better education as they will face a competition," the petition had claimed.

Petition had said that presently, there were 5,464 tehsils in India and a total of 1,209 KVs. "To achieve real equality and elevate poor, weak, Dalits, tribals and deprived sections of society, State must provide uniform education having common syllabus and common curriculum to all students of I-VIII standards in spirit of Articles 14, 15, 16, 21A and Preamble of the Constitution," the plea had said.