CHENNAI: The future of 71 students from LKG to class 7 at a matriculation school in Madurai is uncertain as the school’s management plans to shut down the institution. Parents are being pressured to enroll their children in a CBSE school run by the same management. However, officials indicate that the school has not submitted a formal closure application.
These 71 students, from underprivileged families living within a one-kilometer radius of the school, were admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. This act mandates that 25% of seats in private schools be reserved for children from economically weaker sections, with the government covering their fees. Initially, these students attended the matriculation school in Madurai, which is adjacent to a CBSE school operated by the same management.
In May 2023, the management reportedly transferred around 200 students from the matriculation school to the CBSE school. Citing renovations at the Madurai campus, the remaining 71 RTE students were moved to another matriculation school run by the same management in Sivaganga, 30 kilometers away. Although the management initially promised to bring the students back to Madurai the next academic year, they now plan to close the matriculation school and urge parents to pay fees at the CBSE school.
In response, parents have appealed to the chief minister’s special cell and the National Child Rights Protection Commission (NCPCR), which oversees the implementation of the Right to Education Act. The NCPCR has directed the district collector to take action against the school, emphasizing the negative health impacts on children due to long travel distances.
The Chief Education Officer has also called for action against the school, and the District Education Officer (Private Schools) has requested an explanation from the school, noting that no closure application has been received. Officials from the education department have stated that further action will be taken soon.
“The school assured us that our children would receive free education until class 8, but now they are using various tactics to extract fees from us. The government must intervene to ensure these 71 children continue to receive free education,” said one parent.
The situation remains under review as authorities assess the appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the RTE Act and the provision of free education to the affected students.