Covid effect: EWS admissions lowest in 3 years in Chandigarh schools

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 10

Economically Weaker Section (EWS) admissions have been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic with 2021-22 session witnessing the lowest number of admissions in the past few years.

In 2019-20, there were 730 total seats in 56 unaided schools, of which 44 seats were left vacant. The pandemic hit the city in March 2019 and schools were shut across Chandigarh as a consequence of the pandemic. During the 2020-21 session, 820 seats were reserved for EWS students in the private schools but 66 seats remained vacant.

In the current session, 61 schools were able to reserve comparatively a lesser number of seats than the previous years. Against 662 seats reserved for the EWS category in 2021-22 session, 99 seats still remained vacant in the private schools.

Under Section 12(1) (c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the private schools are required to reserve 25% seats for children belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)/Disadvantaged Groups (DG) and provide free and compulsory elementary education till its completion.

Nitin Goyal, from the Chandigarh Parents Association, said, “Schools were closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and EWS parents are usually unaware of the online procedure. Some may have migrated to their native places and remained under the impression that schools are closed and admission is halted. I would request the administration to invite fresh applications for the current session and not convert the vacant seats into general category.”