Education minister Ashok Choudhary on Sunday urged private schools in Bihar to open their doors and hearts to poor students.
He was addressing directors and principals of private schools at a seminar on quality education organised by Private Schools and Children Welfare association at a city hotel. Apart from Chowdhury and finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui, CBSE regional head L.L. Meena also attended the meet along with representatives from more than 400 private schools.
Choudhary said: "As part of social responsibility, private schools in Bihar should impart free education to students from the economically weaker section of the society by admitting such students in their schools."
Private schools should not remain within the reach of only students from rich families, he said.
"The doors of such schools should be opened to students from underprivileged families as well," he said.
The minister's observation has come at a time when private schools in the state have failed to implement the Right to Education (RTE), which mandates private schools admit 25 per cent of their students from economically poor section of the society.
The education department had served show-cause notices to 1,190 private schools in Patna in February, asking them why they had failed to implement the RTE in their institutions.
The notice was served to schools for failing to implement the RTE norms also mandate improving student-teacher ratio and infrastructure facilities.
An education department official said: "The schools have been given a three-year period to upgrade its infrastructure, increase teacher strength, and admit 25 per cent students from poor families.
"If the schools don't adhere to the RTE norms, action will be initiated against them. This year, we have come to know that around 1.35 lakh students have been admitted to private schools across the state under the RTE, but more awareness is needed for better implementation."
At Sunday's event, finance minister Siddiqui asked the schools to have curriculum that focuses on human values and moral education.
"We find several students, who are good in studies, lacking human values and moral education. The result is that such students have no love or respect towards their parents, teachers and seniors.
"No society can develop without love or respect towards parents, teachers and human beings," Siddiqui said.
CBSE regional director Meena asked private schools to develop their teaching methodology by inducting good teachers and resource persons.
"School principals and directors should have knowledge on what their teachers are teaching," Meena said.
The daylong conference also discussed parameters needed to develop school curriculum with focus on quality education to students.
