Telangana HC Directs Government on RTE Act’s 25% Quota in Private Schools

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to submit a compliance report within two weeks with regard to the implementation of Section 12 (1) (c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE) which mandates 25 per cent quota for children from weaker and disadvantaged sections in private and unaided schools.

Complaining that the Act had not been implemented in Telangana, a PIL was filed before the High Court in 2020. Since then, the government has been telling the court that it was taking steps to implement the Act.

On Tuesday, a division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar heard the petition. Government counsel said that the state was providing free education in state-run schools and that it had taken steps to implement the Act and submitted a counter.

The court was not satisfied with the details submitted by the government and Chief Justice Aradhe asked how many students had been admitted in private and unaided schools.

Counsel for the petitioner said that if government could lay down a condition making it compulsory for private unaided schools to implement the Act when they came for renewal of their recognition.

Giving the government two weeks to file its report on RTE implementation, the court cautioned the government that if it failed to file the compliance report, appropriate action would be initiated.