A total of 140 parents in Ahmedabad were found using fake income certificates to secure free private education for their children under the Right to Education (RTE) scheme. The District Education Officer (DEO) swiftly cancelled the admissions, restoring the rights of deserving families.
The RTE scheme in Gujarat offers free education in private schools for children from poor and middle-income families, covering Classes 1 to 8. Eligibility hinges on an annual parental income cap of Rs 1.5 lakh.
However, the fraudulent activities of these 140 parents violated the scheme’s intent, depriving genuine beneficiaries of their rights.
During verification, it was revealed that these parents had annual incomes far exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh. Schools like Udgam, Jaber, RP Vasani, Global International, and Calorex’s KN Patel discovered the discrepancies after cross-checking income documents, including IT returns.
When confronted, some parents claimed inflated returns were filed to ease loan approval, while others blatantly admitted to having higher incomes.
DEO Rohit Chaudhary confirmed, “The income of the parents of these 140 children was found to be above Rs 1.5 lakh, violating the scheme's rules.”
Parents now face two options: either pay full fees at the current private schools or transfer their children to other institutions. This action may benefit private schools, as they can now charge full tuition for these vacated spots.
The DEO’s actions have been widely praised for protecting RTE’s integrity. However, this incident highlights the need for stricter scrutiny of income certificates during admissions.
