The Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) has stated that the private unaided schools must provide desktops, laptops, smartphones, or high-speed internet to the Economically Weaker Section students. The Directorate submitted the obligation before the Delhi High Court.
In a counter-affidavit, the directorate submitted in the court stated that it is the duty of the schools to make sure that none of the children are deprived of the online education. The government is also bound to release funds or the reimbursement as prescribed under the Right to Education Act.
The counter-affidavit was filed by the directorate as a response to a plea asking the schools to provide laptops, smartphones, and high-speed internet connections to the students from the EWS category studying in private schools.
Recently the Delhi Court had stated that the schools and government must make sure that even a single child should be deprived of online education due to lack of teaching equipment. The HC has also observed that the schools may collect the equipment for the EWS category and ask for reimbursement from the central government.
According to petition files close to 50,000 students from the EWS category are not able to afford laptops, phones, and other electronic gadgets and so are deprived of attending the online classes conducted by the private schools due to the lockdown.
