RTE Act, will it be beneficial to actual beneficiary?

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court exempting minority education institutions from the ambit of Right to Education (RTE) Act has evoked mixed reactions in Chennai with schools having minority status welcoming the decision, while parents of underprivileged and poor students belong to majority community decrying the order as ‘arbitrary’.

While certain schools in Chennai still to admit 25 per cent of students belonging to backward community in their respective areas, a section of parents have expressed apprehension that several wealthy parents belonging to backward community will take this Act as a route to enter into frontline private educational institutions to get free education for their wards.

Since economic status has not been clearly mentioned for admitting these students, a simple caste card is enough to comply the school authorities with extending admission for these students, they say.

However, one can’t rule out the possibility of deserving and intelligent children from middle or poor families belonging to upper cast getting left out or being denied quality education. It is mandatory to argue that by denying seats to these children, are we not denying their right for quality education?

Reservation is good for those who don’t afford quality education, which comes with heavy price these days. Instead of deciding on the basis of caste, economic status should be taken as yardstick to admit these students in private aided or unaided schools, which impart quality education. It will be a good investment for the state government too on these students, who shall utilise their education for the benefit of the state when they grow up.

Modi proposes, BCCI disposes

After a much hullabaloo, the Supreme Court has announced the results of the elections to the administrative body for Rajasthan Cricket Association and Lalit Modi has been announced the convincing winner for the president post.

However, Modi’s happiness was short-lived as red-faced BCCI under its new head Sunil Gavaskar, banned Rajasthan cricket body for lifetime and even appointed a separate team to look into its day-to-day affairs. The order was issued by BCCI’s interim president Shivlal Yadav.

Modi, the former IPL commissioner, has been living in London in exile for over four years after the allegation of financial bungling related to IPL broke out.

Modi won the election by a landslide margin, polling in 24 out of 33 votes, while his opponent Rampal Sharma received only five votes.

It was almost a 20:20 match between Modi and BCCI ever since the Apex Court appointed Justice Kasliwal to oversee the December 19 elections, as fortunes swung in favour of each other till the last moment.

Modi, who feels that the win as RCA chief will pave his way to return to BCCI, said he intended to cleanse the system in the state cricket body, formerly headed by CP Joshi. However, with the quashing of the cricket body, his dream will never come true.

Earlier, the BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia, had submitted a 134-page report in July, 2013, in which it had found Modi guilty of financial irregularities, indiscipline and actions detrimental to the interest of the BCCI.