Gurgaon: The directorate of elementary education on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 lakh on Amity International School in Sector 43 for lapses in implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, after the institution failed to complete mandatory procedures in declaring seats for students from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. As per Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, schools must declare 25% seats to disadvantaged students. An official order stated that despite declaring the required seats on the MIS portal, Amity International School failed to submit essential documents after which the concerned district elementary education officer rejected the declaration.The school was granted an opportunity for a personal hearing on Jan 28, during which the management committee said there was no wilful intention to violate the RTE Act and the irregularities occurred due to lack of knowledge or awareness about established norms.School principal Dr Anshu Arora said, “At no stage were we informed of any rejection or deficiency by the authorities. Therefore, we have respectfully requested a review of the penalty as there was no wilful violation or negligence on the part of the institution and we remain committed to ensuring transparency and adherence to all statutory requirements.”Taking into account the submissions by the school and provisions of the RTE Act, the directorate imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh and ordered the school to pay the amount within two days.The school has also been warned to adhere strictly to the mandates of the RTE Act in the future, failing which appropriate action would be taken as per prescribed rules. In addition, field authorities have also been ordered to ensure private schools operating within their jurisdiction show documents for admissions under the RTE, failing which they should immediately deposit the prescribed penalty amount.
