New law to protect weak students

Schools that force academically weaker students to quit in order to safeguard the school’s board results must now improve their ways as the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) is gearing up to curb such malpractices.

The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) set up a committee to draft a bill on unfair practices used by schools towards weak students. Many private schools often force these students to leave the school when they are in class IX or X. The reason behind this step is to ensure that the school maintains an impressive record of board results. However, this will become a punishable offence as and when this legislation comes into effect.

A member of the sub committee said that it has now become a common practice and schools are keen to admit brighter candidates from other schools, while harassing weak students. The reason is that good marks lead to impressive board results for the school, which is supposed to reflect on the quality of education. Even representatives of private schools recognised this situation as unethical and supported the prohibition of such practices.

The draft bill is almost ready but the punishment for committing such an act and where such matters would be settled is yet to be finalized. Read more

The sub-committee set up on June 7, 2011 made a presentation on July 18 to the minister of state for HRD, D Purandeswari.  During the consultation, the CABE sub-committee also discussed the possibility of regulating school fee, but then decided against it. However, sections 3 (1) and (2) of the draft Bill make it mandatory that the schools must declare each fee component at the beginning of each session and not revise it mid-term.