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Supreme Court News: The Supreme Court directed the Kerala government to establish schools in all areas including Ellambra, where there is no school within a radius of 3-4 kilometers. CJI Surya Kant said, “We are aware that the state government may be short of funds for the overall construction of the required schools. In this regard, some private buildings may be identified where schools can be established as a temporary arrangement.”
New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Kerala government to take a ‘comprehensive decision’ to establish government lower-primary and upper-primary schools in all areas where no school operates. Noting that under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, every child should have access to school education in close proximity, a bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued a series of directions.
The bench upheld the direction of the Kerala High Court, which had directed the state government to set up a school in an area within which there is no educational facility within 3-4 kilometres. “The Kerala government should take a holistic decision to establish government primary schools in all those areas where there are no schools under the 2009 Act,” the bench said.
The bench also said, “Schools should be established without any delay in all such areas having difficult geographical terrain.” The bench laid down a two-stage approach. Under this, in the first phase, the government will have to identify all those areas where there is no ‘lower-primary’ or ‘upper-primary’ school. In the second phase, schools should be established in all those areas where there is no primary school within a radius of one kilometer or no upper primary school within a radius of 3-4 kilometers.
The Chief Justice said, “We are aware that the State Government may be short of funds for the overall construction of the required schools. In this regard, some private buildings may be identified where schools can be established as a temporary arrangement. But such arrangements cannot continue indefinitely, and necessary budgetary allocations need to be made for the same.” The order was passed on a petition requesting that a school be established in Elhambra (Manjari Municipality) as no primary educational institution exists within a radius of 3-4 kilometres.
