A panel constituted by the government for upgrade of education in the Valley has suggested that 33 percent of seats in private schools should be reserved for economically underprivileged children.
The panel, Knowledge Initiative, had suggested a series of private public partnership for uplift of educational standards. The increased reservation of seats is in line with those proposals.
The state cabinet will now take the final call on the panel’s proposal.
An official privy to developments said the government will compensate private schools for additional reservations.
“Alternatively the reservations can be linked with fee hike in schools. When private schools raise fee they commercialise it,” the official said.
He added that increased reservations will ensure quality education for the underprivileged children and also prevent commercialisation of education in private schools.
It is also yet to be decided whether seats will be reserved on the basis of admissions per class or the total number of admissions.
The development comes at a time when the government has failed to enforce 10 percent free admissions to the poor students in government-aided private schools.