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First violators of RTE Act: Govt’s own Navodayas New Delhi, July 9 The schools — fully funded by the government — went ahead and conducted admissions for the current academic session on the basis of an all-India entrance test despite clear provisions in the RTE Act prohibiting screening of students at the time of admission. The RTE provides for random admissions only and explicitly bars entrance tests for students from classes I to VIII and aged 6 to 14 years. The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), which has a senior HRD Ministry official as a member, however, concluded the JNV selection test for admission to class VI (JNVs admit students in class VI) in 603 schools by April this year — a gross violation of the RTE law, which came into effect from April 1. Taking cognisance of the contravention, the monitoring agency under the Act — the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) — has now slapped notices on the Samiti and ordered immediate rectification of the error. In a letter to the Commissioner, NVS, Manoj Singh, the NCPCR has directed immediate withdrawal of JNV admission tests already conducted and fresh issuance of admission notice in conformity with the provisions of the RTE Act. The NVS is obviously in no mood to comply and says its admissions for this year are over. To honour the law, the NVS would have to hold fresh admissions for 48, 240 students as each class VI section accommodates 80 students. The Navodayas now claim that the entrance test for admission to 552 schools was concluded before April 1, 2010, when the law was enforced. But the test was again held for 51 schools this April — much after the RTE Act was implemented, The Tribune has learnt.The NCPCR wants fresh admissions to all these schools, warning the JNVs of penal action if they failed to comply. The RTE Act, under Section 13, prescribes a penalty up to Rs 25,000 for schools screening students or parents for admission. For each subsequent contravention, up to Rs 50,000 penalty can be slapped. The commission letter (in possession of The Tribune) to the Navodaya Commissioner states, “It is learnt that Navodaya Vidyalayas in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere are conducting admission tests for entry to their institutions. This procedure is prohibited by Section 13 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. It is requested that the aforementioned admission test be withdrawn and another notice in conformity with the RTE Act, 2009, be issued at the earliest.” The NCPCR has also asked NVS Commissioner to issue government orders to all schools asking them to change the existing admission rules as per the RTE Act. It has also sent similar letters to all state education secretaries. The JNVs for their part have been admitting students on the basis of the all-India Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas Selection Test conducted at district level. The test, designed by the CBSE, is of non-verbal nature, class neutral and designed to induct talented rural students to class VI. The data gathered by The Tribune however shows that only about 3 per cent of the students who take the JNV test actually enter school. In 2007, of the 12, 35, 288 students who appeared, just 36, 364 got through; the previous year saw only 35,605 selections whereas 10, 42, 288 students had taken the test.
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