Calling the farce on minority schools

Abstract

This chapter looks at the Indian Supreme Court's exemption of minority schools from the requirements of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 (RTE Act). It argues that the consequences of the minority school exemptions from the RTE Act by the Supreme Court have led to the unfortunate result of a large number of private schools falsely appealing for minority status. This is made possible by the ambiguous definition of what constitutes a minority institution and also the lack of clarity as to who is the authority that would declare schools to be minority schools. There is therefore an urgent need to review the definition of what constitutes a minority institution. More importantly, it is crucial to argue that minority schools should not be exempted from the norms and standards prescribed in the RTE Act that are necessary for quality education.