Latest news with #MarumalarchiMakkalIyakkam
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Protesters demand immediate start of RTE admissions in current academic year
Photo by P Sreedharan COIMBATORE: Social activists and members of the public held an attention-seeking protest in Coimbatore demanding the immediate start of the Right to Education Act admissions in the current academic year. The protest happened outside Kikani School where school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was attending a programme. They shouted slogans. V Eswaran, an activist and the founder of Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, led the protest and asked why the state govt was not ready to open admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act). He said, "Nearly 1.5 lakh students from deprived communities were denied education by not implementing the Act this year. Nearly five lakh students are affected by the non-payment for the RTE, and the govt seems to be least bothered about their education. If the state didn't receive the funds from 2021 to 2025, why did they fail to appeal in court." He stated that they would file a contempt of court against the state govt for not acting upon the Madras high court 's order to implement the RTE without waiting for funds from the Union govt. He said, "If the state wishes to go for further appeal, it is welcomed. But that should not be at the stake of students' education. This not only affects new admissions but creates a problem for the existing students benefiting from the RTE.'
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Madras High Court seeks Centre's report on funds disbursed to state under SS scheme
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the union government to file a report on the disbursal of funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for Tamil Nadu. A vacation bench of justices G R Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan issued the direction to file the report on Friday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by V Eswaran, founder of the Coimbatore-based Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam praying for orders to admit students under the Right to Education (RTE) Act for the current academic year. The bench expressed dismay over non-disbursal of the central funds when Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran submitted that the union government has not released its share of the funds since 2021 due to political animosity. Informing the bench that the state government has moved the Supreme Court regarding the issue, Ravindran stated the government has convened a meeting to discuss the issue at the end of the month. The counsel for the central government submitted that the Centre has been allocating funds for the other states but not to Tamil Nadu. The bench commented that if the funds were not provided, the private schools would suffer and adjourned the hearing for Friday. The petitioner prayed for the court to issue a direction to the respondent authorities to initiate the admission process under RTE Act for 2025-26 immediately. The notification for admissions to Class 1 under the RTE Act for 25% of the seats, which all private state board schools are mandated to reserve for children from economically weaker sections, are usually issued by the government in mid-April. Following this, applications can be filed on state government's online portal and the admission processes by respective schools are completed by May.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
MMI alleges schools target low-performing students with forced transfers; seeks white paper
The Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam (MMI) has alleged that several schools in Coimbatore forcibly expel students predicted to underperform after 9th and 11th grades. The organisation has called on the Tamil Nadu School Education Department to publish a white paper on this issue, identify the affected students, and ensure their immediate re-admission. MMI president V. Eswaran claimed that some schools issue transfer certificates to students unlikely to pass, to maintain 100% pass rates in 10th and 12th board exams. He added that schools sometimes force these students to appear as private candidates, excluding their results from official statistics. 'Despite repeated Right to Information (RTI) requests since 2020, data was received from only 25 out of 518 schools. This data revealed numerous cases where students were expelled and not enrolled in the following academic year. This represents a mere 5% compliance, with 95% of schools failing to provide transparency on the matter.' he said. The MMI alleged the practice spans government, aided, and private schools, affecting thousands of students' education rights. Mr. Eswaran called the practice inhumane and demanded urgent government action. He warned that schools violating these principles should face strict penalties, including recognition revocation.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Madras High Court seeks response from Tamil Nadu government over delay in RTE admissions
The Madras High Court on Thursday (May 15, 2025) directed the Tamil Nadu government to respond within a week to a petition challenging the delay in commencing admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, in private schools. Under the Act, private unaided schools are required to reserve 25 per cent of entry-level seats for children from economically weaker sections and provide them with free education. The online application process for RTE admissions, which typically begins in April, has not yet started this year. V. Eswaran, president of the Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, filed the writ petition seeking the immediate commencement of the admission process. 'Typically, the RTE admission process concludes by May 20 each year. All schools in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for reopening on June 2. The Tamil Nadu government has completely neglected its responsibility to ensure the educational rights of lakhs of poor children as mandated by law. No steps have been taken so far regarding the admission process. Therefore, we have filed a petition in the Madras High Court demanding immediate initiation of RTE admissions,' Mr. Eswaran said. Hearing the petition, Justice G.R. Swaminathan directed the State government to file its response within a week.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Madras HC seeks response from Tamil Nadu government over delay in RTE admissions
The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu government to respond within a week to a petition challenging the delay in commencing admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, in private schools. Under the Act, private unaided schools are required to reserve 25 per cent of entry-level seats for children from economically weaker sections and provide them with free education. The online application process for RTE admissions, which typically begins in April, has not yet started this year. V. Eswaran, president of the Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, filed the writ petition seeking the immediate commencement of the admission process. 'Typically, the RTE admission process concludes by May 20 each year. All schools in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for reopening on June 2. The Tamil Nadu government has completely neglected its responsibility to ensure the educational rights of lakhs of poor children as mandated by law. No steps have been taken so far regarding the admission process. Therefore, we have filed a petition in the Madras High Court demanding immediate initiation of RTE admissions,' Mr. Eswaran said. Hearing the petition, Justice G.R. Swaminathan directed the State government to file its response within a week.
