Kageri seeks clarification from Centre

BANGALORE:  The final draft of rules concerning the implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Actthat was submitted to the state government by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is now lying with thefinance department. According to SSA sources, the current trajectory of thinking from the government’s end is not very promising. An official from SSA told Express that there were three main issues that  were delaying the implementation of RTE in the state. “Firstly, the cost-sharing ratio of the total budget of Rs 1,700 crore allocated towards RTE has not been cleared. As it stands today, it is 65:35, with 35 per cent cost bore by the state. There may be changes in this ratio,” an SSA official said. The official continued, “Secondly, the question of who would reimburse the 25 per cent of fees in unaided schools for underprivileged children has not been answered. The Centre has not given the state a clear picture about this.” In case the responsibility of the reimbursement falls on the state government, then the costs involved are huge. The third problem, according the the SSA official, is the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR). “As of now, the PTR is 1:30. With the proposed inclusion of the eight standard into higher primary, the state will need 2,500 additional teachers in aided schools,” the official said. A committee has been formed to look at the implications of including eight standard into higher primary. The Financial Department is allegedly worried whether the state can bear the costs in these three aspects. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said that RTE had reached a point of no return in  Karnataka. “We have accepted it. There should be no doubt about its plementation. But there are some areas of worry, like reimbursement of 25 per cent of school fees,” he said. He added that he had written to the Centre seeking more clarity in this regard. “The Centre has plainly asked us to implement the Act, without clarification. I have already written to them, and some conclusion will be reached,” he said.