Top court directs states to notify free education in private schools for orphans
The court ordered that Delhi, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat have already issued notifications to include orphans under the definition of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The court have directed all other states to issue the same notification within four weeks following which they will inform Supreme Court regarding the matter. The bench also directed the states to conduct a survey of orphan children who have been admitted to schools or those who have been rejected by schools.The court stressed that the reason for refusal of admission must be recorded in the survey and Along with it, efforts should also be made to ensure admission of such (orphan) children in schools.The bench gave instructions in which directions were sought for standardised education, reservation and survey for counting the orphan population in India.The court also highlighted the lack of official data regarding orphan children and said that it reflects the country's indifference towards the weaker section of the society.Shukla, appearing in the court, argued that the Government of India does not count orphan children in the country. The only reliable data the government has comes from NGOs and independent organizations like UNICEF, which estimate that there are 29.6 million (2.96 crore) orphan children in India. - EndsTune InMust Watch
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