Kapil Sibal raises Kendriya Vidyalaya admission quota for MPs

HRD minister Kapil Sibal has raised the Kendriya Vidyalaya admission quota for MPs from two to six. This was decided on Thursday at the KV board of governors' meet chaired by Sibal.

At present, MPs can recommend only two admissions to Kendriya Vidyalayas in his constituency. In July 2011, the law ministry junked the HRD proposal to raise the quota from two to five — three for KVs in their constitutency and two in Delhi.

The new proposal suggests MPs, including nominated members, can avail of the quota and recommend admissions which will be over and above the sanctioned class strength.

The HRD ministry has raised the Kendriya Vidyalaya admission quota for MPs to six. Sources in the ministry said under the new scheme the jurisdiction of Lok Sabha MPs will be limited to their constituency. Rajya Sabha MPs, however, can recommend admissions across the state. For nominated MPs, it's a win-win situation as they can recommend admissions to KVs across India. "Since there are 140 constituencies in the country which don't have KVs, these MPs can recommend admissions in neighbouring constituencies," an HRD official said.

There are 1,087 KVs catering to around 1.08 million students across India. There are 545 Lok Sabha MPs and 245 Rajya Sabha MPs who stand to benefit from this scheme and will get 4,740 seats among them.

Sibal's decision will please MPs who have been seeking an increase in admission quota since 2010. In 2011, the proposal was struck down by the law ministry citing non-compliance with a Delhi high court order of November 17, 1998.

Till 2010, MPs could nominate only two students every academic session, but after the Right to Education Act came into force in April 2010, the HRD ministry scrapped it. But it was restored in May following intense pressure from MPs.

People's View
Far from raising the discretionary quota for MPs from two to six, it should have been scrapped altogether. With the law now providing for a quota for those from economically weaker sections in schools, what is the need for any discretionary quotas with MPs? In any case, in what way are MPs better qualified to decide who should get admission into a Kendriya Vidyalaya? This a left-over of a system in which the government and our 'rulers' were regarded as the dispensers of largesse in a scarcity-ridden society. It is time we shed that mindset and recognize that our elected representatives are meant to serve the people, not act as feudal lords dispensing favours.