Supreme Court Criticizes Child Rights Body Over Weak EWS Quota Enforcement

The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for showing indifference in enforcing a 25 percent quota for weaker students in private schools. A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked the chairperson of the statutory body to attend the next court hearing. The judges noted that the commission holds a major role and people place a lot of trust in its work.

Implementation

The court checked the progress of its January 13 direction. This order strictly enforces section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The rule forces private schools to take in children from weaker and disadvantaged groups living nearby for at least 25 percent of their class seats. The bench pointed out that the commission currently uses a standard operating procedure with guidelines that cannot be legally enforced. The court asked the body and the Centre to create proper rules and regulations so that schools actually follow the student admission process.

Responses

Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati spoke for the commission and the Centre in court. Bhati shared a compliance affidavit written by commission director V Ramanadha Reddy. The document stated that the body sent a letter to the school education secretaries of all states and union territories about the admission rules. Out of all regions, 9 states and union territories have not yet replied to the letter, while the rest have started taking steps. The bench rejected this simple approach of just collecting state replies and told the authority to make sure every local school actually carries out the quota.

Context

Public welfare quotas in educational institutions rely heavily on active monitoring by government bodies to reach eligible students. When regulatory agencies face court scrutiny, it usually leads to stricter administrative oversight and faster policy action by local governments. Legal mandates for free education aim to bridge learning gaps for children from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country.