Lok Sabha Question No. 4309 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-12
Subject: Ensuring Admission to Deserving Students
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4309 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th DECEMBER, 2016

## Ensuring Admission to Deserving Students

4309. SHRI RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKER:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any appropriate steps to ensure admissions for poor yet  deserving  students  in  Government  as  well  as  private  colleges  and  schools  across  the country particularly in the metro cities, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ensure adequate representation and admission for the students from rural areas with poor economic backgrounds;
- (c)  whether the  Government has set up any expert advisory committee to look after this issue; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the decision taken by the Government in this regards?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)

(a) & (b): To ensure better efficiency and promote transparency in admission process, the Central  Universities  funded  by  the  UGC  have  been  directed  to  put  in  place  an  'Online Admission  System'.  The  Government  has  also  undertaken  various  student  financial assistance  schemes  such  as Comprehensive  Educational  Loan  Scheme,  tuition  fee  waiver scheme,  Scholarships  schemes  to  ensure  that  no  deserving  student  in  the  Country  is deprived of higher education for want of finances. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has  notified  UGC  (Grievance  Redressal)  Regulations,  2012  wherein  it  has  been  made mandatory  for  all  the  Universities  to  appoint  an  Ombudsman  for  redressal  of  grievances relating to unfair practices in admission etc. Various Common Admission Tests such as Joint Entrance  Exam  (JEE)  etc  are  conducted  by  the  Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education (CBSE)  to  ensure  merit  based  admission.  Reservation  in  admission  of  the  students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer) of citizens to certain Central Educational Institutions is mandated by the Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admission Act, 2006).

The  Right  to  Education  (RTE)  Act,  2009  mandates  that  all  private  un-aided  schools  shall admit children belonging to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighborhood in Class I (or pre-school as the case may be) to the extent of at least 25% of the strength of that class and provide free and compulsory elementary education to them till its completion. (c)  &  (d):  Section  31  &  32  of  the  RTE  Act  provides  for  monitoring  by  the  National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commission for Protection of  Child  Rights  (SCPCRs)  and  redressal  of  grievances  by  the  local  authorities  relating  to rights of a child under the RTE Act.

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