Why top private schools shy away from responsibilities?

High Court has accepted to hear a petition seeking directions to valleys top private institutes to have 25 per cent reservation for students of underprivileged class of society.

The petition filed by chairman International Forum for Human Rights Justice Ahsan Untoo said the government has leased out land to these private schools at meager price and in return these schools are bound to serve the poorest of the poor and reserve 25 percent of its seats for them, which it was not abiding by.

A division bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice BS Walia issued notices to the respondents and asked them to respond within three weeks to the petition and the points rose therein.

The petitioner has made top private schools of the valley as respondents in the petition including Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson School, Burn Hall School, Presentation Convent School besides state through Chief Secretary and Commissioner Secretary Education.

Petitioner said if the schools are following the conditions, then the schools should disclose the list of beneficiary student belonging to the under privileged class of the society who have got benefited from such institutions without payment of any fees since from the time such lease was granted in favour of all such institutions.

Untoo also sought directions to the state government to provide details with respect to the leased land currently under possession of the private schools of the state along with the tenure of the lease, rent recoverable from all such institutions and the conditions of the lease granted to such institutions.

The petitioner has also asked for directions to government to frame a policy for fixation and recovery of rent for all the leased land presently under the occupation of such schools.

He has also sought list of all the private schools getting the grants from the state and the amount of grant issued in favour of such educational institutions and the conditions of issuance of such a grant.

Untoo further pleaded that the system of education has been diminishing in terms of the quality when the state has made endeavours for bringing the educational opportunity to the door steps of the people. “The fall in the quality education in the public educational system has actually paved way for the mushrooming of the private educational institutions thereby making a way for the deepening gorge in between the access of quality education to the under privileged class of the society,” he said in the petition.