Patna, Feb. 3: The state government today made it clear that private schools would have to earmark 25 per cent quota for the underprivileged children to implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

“The schools will have to implement the provisions of the act, failing which their registration might be cancelled,” human resource development department principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh told journalists.

Singh said: “The state government will be constituting committees in every district, which will grant registration to the existing and new schools. Once these committees are formed, the state government will be in a position to cancel the registration if the provisions of the act are not followed.”

Asked about what kind of final assistance the private schools could expect from the state government, Singh said: “We are not concerned about how much private schools charge from students. The amount that the government spends on a student per year will be given to the schools. According to rough calculations, the government spends around Rs 2,800 on one child. The government will give the same to the school as compensation. But no final decision has been taken in this matter.”

Responding to a query about whether private school would arrange separate sitting arrangements for these children, he said that was out of the question because such discrimination among students would qualify the school for derecognition.

He, however, lamented over the present system where the government cannot directly control the arbitrary fee structure fixed by these schools. He said the government should at least have an advisory role to check such practice.

He said the government has set its eye primarily on two issues — improve the quality education and impart training to untrained teachers.

The big expansion plan for providing training to teachers has not yet taken off as the state lacks proper infrastructure facility, he added.

The government, which hitherto used to provide Rs 5,000 for undertaking educational tour to each school, has doubled the sum from next financial year, he said.

The official added: “The government is planning a number of cultural events in schools and colleges across the state for Bihar Diwas, which will be celebrated for a year, starting this March.”