Urges implementation of EWS reservation in private schools in Telangana
Hyderabad: Members of Democratic Sangha, a Hyderabad-based non-profit organisation, who have been working actively towards the equal rights of marginalised communities in India, staged a one-day hunger strike on March 9th in the city of Hyderabad. The aim of observing the hunger strike was in order to urge the government of Telangana to implement Section 12 (1) C of the Right to Education Act, which mandates a 25 per cent reservation of seats in private international schools for children from economically weaker sections. The peaceful protest was led by the founder and president of the Democratic Sangha, Brahmachari Chaitanya, the late Swami Agnivesh’s student and a novice non-traditional monk, who has been involved in the upliftment work for the weaker section since the age of 17.
The RTE Act, Section 12 (1) C, 2009, mandates that private schools fill at least one-fourth of the total seats in kindergarten or grade first for children from disadvantaged sections. The state of Andhra Pradesh has already implemented the act. However, it is nearly 14 years now since the RTE act came into existence, and are yet to witness its implementation in the state of Telangana, which deprives children belonging to a weaker section of society get access to better education, which is a part of their fundamental rights, regardless of any status.
Monk activist Brahmachari Chaitanya, the Founder and president of the Democratic Sangha, said, “I believe in the idea of equal education. Access to quality education is a fundamental right of every child, regardless of their social and economic status; however, the skewed implementation of the reservation quota in private schools is a gross infringement of the right. I request the state government of Telangana to revisit the RTE Act, Section 12 (1) C for the implementation as the move will be a boon for the kids who are brighter enough but whose parents do not have enough financial bandwidth to support them.”
Monk Chaitanya has been actively involved in working to safeguard democracy over the last decade through his various initiatives, the Democratic Sangha being the recent one. Through the organisation, he has been working directly with the affected communities, making them aware of their rights and helping them claim what is constitutionally theirs. Simultaneously, believing in the principles of democracy, they stage peaceful demonstrations and use other non-violent means to urge the government to implement social justice in the country.
