Supreme Court directs Delhi govt to help children from EWS category for online education

The Supreme Court asked the Delhi government to formulate a plan to assist children from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category and disadvantaged group during the pandemic for their online classes. The SC suggested that the Union and the Delhi government should work together to find a way to ensure that education is not denied due to lack of resources. A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and BV Nagarathna said that it is an important step under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the Centre must also coordinate with the state government to share responsibilities for funding for resources.

The Bench further said that the digital divide is the prime reason for EWS not getting their education as the majority of schools adopted the digital medium during the pandemic. The bench said, "Digital divide produced stark consequences during the pandemic as the right to education was virtually denied to children belonging to EWS children as they could not afford computers for online classes." The Bench insisted that the government must provide solutions or facilities. The Bench added, "The needs of young children who are future of the country cannot be ignored. Access to online education to EWS and disadvantaged groups of children cannot be denied."

Delhi HC orders to provide children with gadgets

The Delhi High Court had directed several schools last year to provide gadgets and internet package to students from EWS and disadvantaged groups to ensure online learning. The High Court had also directed the schools that the cost of gadgets and internet package should not be added to the tuition fees. The Bench of the apex court was hearing a plea of the Action Committee Unaided Recognized Private Schools, which claimed that it was difficult for schools to provide the students with the gadgets and the internet packages as it was putting immense pressure on them financially. The Action Committee further said that the government must reimburse the schools and provide adequate funding for the same. The top court issued a notice in the matter and tagged it along with the pending appeals filed by the Central government and the Delhi government against the order of the Delhi High Court.

With ANI inputs