Chandigarh education dept caps EWS reimbursement at 10% for land-allotted pvt schools

The Chandigarh education department has once again made it clear that private non-minority schools allotted land at subsidized rates will only be reimbursed for 10% of the seats reserved for students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), despite the requirement under the Right to Education (RTE) Act to reserve 25% of their seats for such students.

This clarification comes in the form of a speaking order issued by the UT director of school education, following the administration’s commitment in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to resolve the reimbursement issue by April.

The order has also been shared with all private non-minority schools in Chandigarh.

The administration has justified its stance by referring to a 1996 land allotment scheme under which educational institutions were given land on a leasehold basis, with the condition that they would admit 5% EWS students without charging any fees.

This quota was increased to 15% in 2005 and applies to all institutions allotted land before or after the notification of the scheme.

As a result, the department asserts that schools are only eligible for reimbursement for the remaining 10% of the 25% RTE-mandated quota, as they are already obliged to cover the costs of 15% of the students from their own funds up to Class 9 and can only charge them at par with government schools thereafter.

The department also clarified that the reimbursement rate for the 2024–25 academic session may only be finalised by July.

Until then, schools will be paid at 75% of the rate fixed for the 2023–24 session — which amounts to ₹2,740 per child per month — with the balance to be settled later once the new rate is determined.

Two schools — Vivek High School in Sector 38 and St Kabir Public School in Sector 26 — had approached the High Court seeking reimbursement for their EWS admissions.

Vivek High School had requested ₹31.5 lakh for 22 EWS seats, and St Kabir sought ₹10.7 lakh for 14 seats.

However, taking the 15% non-reimbursable quota into account, the department has decided to make an interim payment of ₹2.3 lakh to Vivek High School.

St Kabir, on the other hand, will not receive any reimbursement, as it reportedly admitted fewer than the 15% EWS students required under the land allotment condition.

The schools have also raised additional grievances.

HS Mamik, chairperson of Vivek High School and president of the Independent Schools’ Association, pointed out, “The responsibility of EWS admissions falls on the administration; it cannot be transferred to private schools. The rates that they have calculated are also inadequate. We will take up this matter legally and file a reply.”

He further argued that the 1996 scheme does not apply to them, as their land was allotted in 1989. The matter is now scheduled for a hearing in the High Court on May 2.

Schools have raised several concerns regarding the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the Chandigarh administration's handling of it.

Firstly, schools have demanded quarterly reimbursement for the 25% of seats reserved under RTE, while the education department has only agreed to reimburse 10% annually.

Secondly, schools highlighted that the department has not published child mapping data since 2020, though the department claims that 42,887 EWS (Economically Weaker Section) children aged 6 to 14 have been identified for the 2025–26 session.

Thirdly, schools questioned the authenticity of EWS students, to which the department responded that all submitted documents are subject to scrutiny and admissions can be cancelled if found invalid.

Another concern raised was the lack of a provision to submit indemnity bonds for claiming EWS reimbursement as per RTE norms; the department assured that this procedure will be reviewed within the next four months.

Lastly, while schools argue that EWS admissions should only be made after government school seats are filled, the department maintained that no school has the right to insist on such a condition.