Govt pushing poor to send children to private schools: HC

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Monday observed that the Government’s failure to provide basic infrastructure in schools is pushing people who cannot even afford three meals a day to send their children to private schools.

“Is education reserved for the privileged,” the HC bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit questioned while hearing a suo-moto public interest litigation filed in 2013 based on media reports about children who were left out of the schooling system.

The court said that the deficiencies in government schools about the lack of restrooms and drinking water facilities have been brought to its notice in 2013 but the action has been lacking.

Till date, 464 government schools lack restrooms and 32 do not have drinking water facilities, the HC pointed out. Expressing its displeasure at the government’s inaction, the HC directed that an affidavit on providing basic facilities in all schools should be filed within eight weeks.

"Is this for us to tell all this to the State? This has been going on for so many years. There must have been some amount shown in the budget for the schooling and education department. What hap- pens to that amount", the HC said.

During the hearing, while referring to the State Government’s free schemes for the poor, the HC said it had no qualms about such measures but providing necessary facilities and infrastructure in schools where poor students study should be of paramount importance.

“Education is a fundamental right. But Governments have failed to provide the facilities in government schools, which are turning the poor towards private schools,” the HC said.

The court said that this was indirectly helping private schools. "Because of the lack of basic facilities, the government schools are closed out. On the other hand, as there is no other option, the parents even when they are financially not well or sound are left with no choice but to admit their wards in the alternate private schools. The learned counsel is also justified in submitting such a situation frustrates the object of making primary education a fundament right as ensured in the Constitution of India," the HC recorded in its daily order.