Gauhati High Court Issues Key Directives to the Education Department and Private Schools

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• Jun 1, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The Gauhati High Court issued a directive to private schools in the state on Thursday...

Digital Desk: The Gauhati High Court issued a directive to private schools in the state on Thursday regarding the admission of students from the economically weaker section (EWS) of society.

The Gauhati High Court gave a stern directive to the state education department, asking that it develop a central portal. According to the directive, the education department must prepare the portal ahead of the upcoming academic year.

Moreover, private schools in the state would be required to provide admissions information for EWS candidates on their own websites. Following that, the high court directed the education department to file an affidavit regarding the establishment of the Central Portal.

It should be mentioned that around 22 states created a central portal in response to the Supreme Court of India's direction. The Supreme Court's order was issued in 2022. However, the Central Portal is not yet functional in Assam.

Meanwhile, the court has scheduled the next hearing on the matter for June 13. Following the court's involvement, private schools will now be obliged to admit students from the EWS section, as stated under the Right to Education.

In March of this year, the Gauhati High Court ordered private educational institutions to reserve 25% of their seats for EWS students. Reportedly, the high court gave a few crucial directions regarding the state's education system.

The directive was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL). The court ordered private institutions to provide free education to EWS students, with 25% reserved for them.

The directive will be implemented from 2023 itself. The court directed the education department to take appropriate action in response to this direction, as well as to inspect schools to ensure that they are implementing and reserving seats for EWS children.

It also directed that an advertisement regarding the reservation for the EWS category be published in schools by March 14.

During a session of the Assam Legislative Assembly last year, the Assam government opted to reduce the reservation for EWS in state government jobs. The state government decided to eliminate the 10% quota for the EWS category in state government jobs which drew criticism from the opposition.

It should be noted that the government's decision went against the Supreme Court of India's decision. Moreover, it reflected a reversal of the decision made during the Sarbananda Sonowal-led government in Assam.