RTE Quota Students Made To Do Menial Work, High Court Seeks Explanation

The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken a stern stand against the principal of DAV Public School in Surajpur district after allegations that children studying under the Right to Education scheme were made to carry out construction activities and whitewashing work.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal took suo motu cognizance of media reports and treated the matter with urgency. 

The court has now directed the School Education Secretary to file a detailed affidavit by March 11, explaining how children meant to be protected under the RTE Act allegedly ended up handling cement, sand and paint brushes instead of textbooks.

The controversy erupted after parents accused the school principal of forcing Economically Weaker Section students admitted under the RTE quota to perform manual labour on campus. 

According to their complaint, children were allegedly made to undertake construction work using cement and sand and were also assigned classroom painting tasks. 

Parents claim that those who resisted were threatened with Transfer Certificates.

The High Court, which was scheduled to hear multiple petitions on the implementation of RTE, intervened even before the scheduled hearing date. 

The bench reportedly took serious note of reports that poor children were being used for whitewashing work. In a parallel case, students of a Pre-Metric Tribal Girls Hostel in Raigarh were also allegedly made to do painting jobs, following which a female employee has been suspended.

Parents alleged that when they approached the school to question the manual labour imposed on their children, the principal responded in a dismissive and humiliating manner. 

According to the complaint, she allegedly told them to "go outside the gate and talk" and remarked that their children were receiving free bags, books, desks and electricity and did not have to pay fees.

The office of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai termed the issue "extremely serious and sensitive" and assured that strict action would follow if the allegations are substantiated. An impartial probe has been promised.