New Delhi, December 14
The Supreme Court today applied a flexible approach in regulating the admission of tiny tots in private unaided schools in the national capital keeping in view the institutions’ autonomy as well as the interests of children and their parents.

Making several amendments in the Delhi High Court order on pre-nursery admissions, a three-judge Bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal said though the restriction imposed by the High Court on the interview of student and parents would remain but the management of the institutions could have an “informal interaction” with the parents.

The apex court also done away with the High Court directive for every private school management to get prior approval for its admission criteria from the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Education as per the Ganguly committee recommendation.

Since the Ganguly committee had laid down a strict admission schedule for all private schools which was ordered to be implemented by the High Court, the apex court gave freedom to the private schools to modify the schedule as per their suitability but complete the admission process by March 15.

But the apex court took tough stand on the question of two stage pre-primary classes – the nursery and KG – and refused to relent and said there would be only on pre-primary class.

The complaint against the private schools was that they were keeping the two-stage pre-primary classes just to extract more money from parents for two years before promoting a child to the first standard.

The Court made it clear that the study in the pre-primary class was only an “informal education” and it should not be counted as a part of formal education, which as per the rules starts only with the admission in first standard after the child has attained the age of over 5 years.

Since in the government schools as per the Delhi Government Education rules a student can be enrolled in first standard after he had attained the age of five years, the government had allowed its institutions to run a pre-primary class for one year to such children who were less then five years of age.

But private institutions were admitting students even of less then four years of age in the nursery class, then promoting them to KG before enrolling them in the first standard. It was disapproved by the Ganguly committee in order to bring uniformity in the admission between private and government schools and fixing the age of four years for admission in pre-primary class.

On the question of interviews of parents, the Court said though the law did not approve it, yet the schools were insisting it because of their single point drive to “negotiate” the payment of donation.

“What else could be the reason for such interviews other than verifying the documents of the child. Do you want to verify the social status of the child, which class he is belonging, whether he is black or white or rich and poor,” the Court asked private school association’s counsel Harish Salve.

The effort should be the development of the child. “Does Parliament say that small children will be interviewed before admission,” the Court asked.

While imposing ban on interview of children and parents, the High Court had restricted the interaction with the parents only to the extent of verification of documents of the child. 

New Delhi, December 14
A huge rush of RWAs was noticed at the secretariat today, as tomorrow would be the last day for the submission of documents of unauthorised colonies. The government is likely to extend the date for the submission of documents of unauthorised colonies. The department concerned with the regularisation of illegal colonies has demanded this from the government.

There are 1,539 unauthorised colonies in the Capital and, only 500 RWAs have been able to submit the documents.

The RWA members said that completing the documents of each plot and demarcating the place for dispensary, primary school, park and community centre is a lengthy process. It needs money and labour. To conduct a survey in each colony and identify the total number of houses and other things is a costly affair, as private engineers demand hefty amounts.

The RWA members alleged that the residents were not co-operating. They have to go door to door to collect money from the residents.

Sanjay, a member of the Sangam Vihar RWA described completing documents of a colony as a herculean task.

When association members demand money for the purpose, residents pose a number of questions and, it is very difficult to convince them. Sometimes they allege that the RWAs misuse their money.

Ganga Ram of Jaitpur Extension opines that the government should authorise its engineering department to make maps of colonies and identify the basic necessities of the area.  

New Delhi, December 14
Despite girl-friendly policies, public information campaigns and a new act to help catch culprits, who perform sex detection tests and abort female foetuses, the proportion of girls to boys in five districts of states with severely skewed sex ratios continues to slide, says a research by ActionAid.

Data gathered from interviews with a representative sample of over 6,000 households show that sex ratios have dropped in four out of five districts, since the 2001 census.

In the rural areas of Punjab, among the upper caste Jat Sikh community, just 500 girls were found for every 1,000 boys. In urban Punjab, among Brahmins, the ratio is a shocking 300, says the ActionAid study.

In Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, researchers recorded a growing preference for having just one child.

“Squeeze on family size is fuelling the trend of ‘disappearing’ daughters. For households expressing preference for just one child, they want to make sure — this is a son,” says ActionAid researcher Jyoti Sapru.

Districts surveyed in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh show a dip in sex ratio, as families move from first to second or third child. The biggest drop recorded is in Morena (MP) with 844 girls for every 1,000 boys amongst first born, but just 715 by the third child.

“Mortality rate for girls increases dramatically, according to birth order. There are more ‘missing’ girls among the second and third born, as families pursue their preference for boys through abortion or neglect of their sisters,” says Sapru.

In an extract from the study, researchers ask Batoon from Dhaulpur in Rajasthan about the relatively big gap between the two sons. He says that his daughter died due to illness. His wife retorts, “The truth of the matter is that he ‘ate’ her. I told him several times to take her for treatment but he remained careless, because of which she died.”

The study also points to a correlation between the sliding sex ratio and a shift from agriculture to non-agricultural work. As land holdings and agricultural incomes diminish districts show a lower sex ratio. Rural Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) and Morena (Madhya Pradesh) reflect this trend.

“While women contribute to agriculture, non-agricultural earnings are seen largely as a male preserve. As the search for work increasingly involves migrating far from home, girls become ‘unwanted’ in the family,” says Rajni Palriwala of Delhi School of Economics (Department of Sociology), part of the research advisory board.

Modern technologies of sex-selection such as ultrasound combine with traditional ‘technologies’ of mantras, herbal potions and astrology to offer more options for those who desire male progeny.

“Even in rural areas, families are willing to spend a significant chunk of their income on travelling to sex test centres in towns to detect the gender of the foetus,” said Mary John of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies.

Anchita Ghatak, who leads the ActionAid’s work on women’s rights says, “To reverse the decline in sex ratio, we have to understand the reasons behind decisions to abort or neglect baby girls. How economic and social factors such as property rights, marriage dowries and gender roles combine to condemn girls even before they are born? And, how the government and civil society can work together to conquer such tragic trends?” 

New Delhi, December 14
Naresh Kumar, general secretary, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee today submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding basic facilities in the Capital’s villages and reservation for Jats in government jobs.

It stated that the government should draw an elaborate master plan for the development of villages.

The memorandum stated that the villages in the Capital needed better education facilities. It urged the government to open primary schools in villages to ensure a healthy foundation. There is also need for professional colleges and vocational training institutes in rural areas.

The village students should get a concession of five per cent marks for admission in colleges. While acquiring lands in villages, the government should apply an inclusive development model, which ensures acquisition of 20 per cent additional land for allotment to villagers. 

New Delhi, December 14
The Korea Labor Education Institute (KLEI), Kwangju, Republic of Korea and the International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, have signed a deal acknowledging their mutual interest in entering into collaborative relation and providing high education to interested parties across the Asian region.

Dr. C.S. Venkata Ratnam, director, IMI and Dr. Sun, Han Seung, the president, KLEI ,have agreed to voluntarily cooperate according to their respective roles and competencies in establishing a cooperative relationship.  

New Delhi, December 14
The TV news channel that had aired a fake sting operation on a woman schoolteacher alleging that she was involved in a sex racket was today let off by the Delhi High Court, which cautioned the electronic media against indulging in such practises for TRP rating but found nothing wrong with exposes as such.

“Such incidents should not happen and false and fabricated sting operation, directly influencing upon a person’s right to privacy, should not recur because of the desire to earn more and to have higher TRP (television rating points) rating,” a bench comprising Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said.

However, the court was not against sting operations as such. “No doubt the media is well within its right domain, when it seeks to use tools of investigative journalism to bring us face to face with the ugly underbelly of the society,” the bench said.

“There is no doubt and there is no second opinion that truth is required to be shown to the public in their interest and the same can be shown whether in the nature of sting operation or otherwise, but we feel that entrapment of any person should not be resorted to and should not be permitted,” the Court ruled.

The bench passed the order on a suo motu matter, which it took into cognisance, on the basis of media reports alleging that the sting operation aired by ‘Live India’ was fake and the schoolteacher Uma Khurana was falsely entrapped by the reporter of the channel.

The channel had telecast the sting on August 30, depicting Khurana as forcing her students to indulge in sex racket.

The High Court, after going through the investigation reports, found that Khurana was falsely implicated and allowed her to file defamation suit for the damages of her reputation.

“The sting operation has become a stinking operation for Khurana, as she lost not only her reputation but also her job,” the Court said adding, “Her reputation has been damaged in the eyes of the public and even her modesty was outraged in the sense that she was manhandled.” — PTI