From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN: The West and South West Khasi Hills District Church Forum has stated that the Right To Education (RTE) Act was not an end in itself, but a means of achieving the common goal in school system via the provisions of quality and equity imbibed in the Act.
The church forum, which convened a meet here recently, held discussions on the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 which is set to be implemented in Meghalaya from next year.
At the meeting, members of the forum said that they are ready to welcome the Act, but observed that Section 21 of the Act dealing with the composition and functions of the School Managing Committee (SMC) was far from what they had expected.
The forum has also questioned the Draft set of rules formulated for Meghalaya regarding composition of the SMC.
The draft states that a school managing committee shall be constituted in every school, other than an un-aided school, within its jurisdiction within six months of the appointed date and reconstituted every two years.
It also stated that 75 per cent of the strength of the school management committee shall be from amongst parents and guardian of children studying in the school while the remaining 25 per cent of the strength of the SMC shall be drawn from elected members of local authority, teachers of the school and local educationists/ children in the school.
The forum, in a press release, claimed that in the prescribed draft rules there was a total absence of a sponsoring body/ founding body of the school.
Lands, properties and other infrastructures have been mentioned to belong to the sponsoring body and outsiders have been prohibited from monitoring the affairs of the institution.
The forum stated that one of the sections goes against the vision and mission of the Christian Schools since they have their own Christian-based philosophy of education.
The forum has placed a request before the State Government to exempt church-run schools from the ambit of Section 21 of the RTE Act.
The forum has also requested all Christian schools in West and South West Khasi Hills to maintain status quo with regards to the formation of the school managing committee as per the provisions of the Act.