Ruckus at meet to discuss RTE quota

Chaos broke out on Saturday at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Auditorium, the venue of a meeting called by PMC Education Board to discuss issues related to the Economically weaker sections (EWS) quota under the RTE, with representatives of parents groups and student wings of political parties raising slogans seeking action against private schools refusing admission to EWS students.

Even as chief education officer Ramchandra Jadhav tried to pacify them, several representatives advanced to the dais and continued the sloganeering. Many sat on the passage between the dais and the first row of chairs.

Principals gathered in the hall, many of them women, started to leave.

It took about half an hour for the officials to calm the agitators down.

Radhika Lokhande, one of the principals who attended the meet said, "The venting of anger on principals is uncalled for as most of those who were present were from schools that implemented the quota. Those who have not implemented it did not come for the meeting."

Speaking to reporters, Jadhav later said, "The chaos resulted as many representatives of student unions and parents groups started talking simultaneously. The meeting was otherwise peaceful."

Although Jadhav said the Board will send "show cause" notices to principals who skipped the meeting, many principals who attended meet were skeptical, as the Board had not noted down the principals who attended and those who did not."

"One of them said, "How will they take action if they don't even know who attended and who did not?"

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