IN HOUSE

The government on Friday accepted it has not been able to effectively implement the Right to Education provision of seats in private schools for students from socio-economically weaker sections and promised to make amends.

"The quota for 25 per cent students belonging to weaker and disadvantaged groups in private schools has not been implemented effectively," education minister Ashok Choudhary said. "The government is serious about it. We'll make all efforts to implement it from the next session." He said implementation of quota in private schools has to be monitored at the district education officer (DEO) level, but it was not being given priority. Choudhary was replying to a query raised by BJP MLCs Rajnish Kumar, Kiran Ghai Sinha, Krishna Kumar and Independent legislator Ritlal Yadav in the Council.

"Private schools are enlisted at district level by a three-member panel of which the DEO is convener," Choudhary said. He added that the committee had to seek information from private schools. It was empowered to inspect them and withdraw "no objection certificate" given for school to function if it found RTE criteria were not being fulfilled.

The Council witnessed a heated exchange over non-payment of salary to 2.5 lakh teachers working on contract in government primary schools. The education minister said funds had been made available till November 2015 and the state was waiting for the Centre's share under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. He also said the Centre had decreased its share from 65:35 earlier to 60:40 now.

But leader of Opposition in the Council, Sushil Kumar Modi, said Bihar was getting around Rs 14,000 crore more in the current fiscal.