No BAS and RTE admissions in our schools: Private managements
Hyderabad: Are growing financial concerns pushing the education sector in the state into chaos?
The situation indicates that the State government is facing scrutiny from the State High Court for failing to implement the 25 per cent reservation for underprivileged students in private schools, as mandated by Section 121 (C) of the Right to Education Act 2009. Meanwhile, private school management has expressed their inability to bear the financial burden that comes with implementing this scheme. In an interview with The Hans India, Yadagiri Sheshagiri Rao, honorary president of the Telangana Recognised Schools Management Association (TRSMA) and state secretary of Best Available Schools (BAS), stated that there are currently about 25,000 seats that schools must allocate to students from SC and ST categories under the BAS Scheme. However, approximately Rs 200 crore in dues have been pending for the past three years.
Additionally, if the state government plans to implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act, schools may need to create around 75,000 more seats to comply with the new requirements. Under the RTE Act, the government is required to either pay the outstanding amounts for each student or cover the fees charged by private schools.
For instance, if a school charges Rs 2 lakh per year in fees, the government would reimburse only about Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh for each admission under the RTE Act. This means the school would have to forgo between Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000 for each student. Conversely, schools that charge only Rs 50,000 per student per year would receive the full amount from the government, rather than the lesser amount they spend on students in government schools.
The state secretary of the private school association stated that the total seat capacity that private schools are required to offer the government under both the BAS and RTE Acts is around one lakh seats. However, the state government has yet to address the Rs 200 crore in BAS dues from the past three years.
Additionally, it reportedly owes about Rs 600 crore for the rentals of residential schools currently operating. Private unaided colleges have also been agitating for the recovery of approximately Rs 7,500 crore in fee reimbursement dues accumulated over the past few years.
This situation has led school management to fear and express their inability to continue admitting students under either the BAS or RTE programs. 'Many schools are facing closure due to mounting debts resulting from the government's non-payment of dues. Small, budget schools in local neighborhoods are particularly affected. They can no longer stretch their finances or raise loans to keep operating,' added Sheshagiri Rao.
There are approximately 200 BAS schools in the state that have decided not to admit students until their pending dues are cleared. If necessary, they may close their doors and hand over the keys to the school education department to manage the schools themselves.
When asked about the current situation, sources in the State School Education Department indicated that the state government is considering starting international schools in every mandal to provide quality education for all.
However, this raises a valid concern: the state government is currently struggling to clear about Rs 8,000 crore in dues for both schools and colleges. Given this financial burden, how many years will it take to build and operate these international schools to ensure quality education for everyone remains a million-dollar question.
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