The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Delhi High Court order which directed private unaided schools in the capital to provide free gadgets and internet connections to poor students for online classes and claim reimbursement from the state government.
The bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian also issued the notice on the appeal filed by the Delhi government.
A plea was filed before the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the government to ensure that the free laptop/I-pad/Mobile Phone and high speed internet or any other equipment required for online classes through video conferencing, be provided free of cost to every child defined under section 2(c) of the RTE Act except fee paying children with immediate effect irrespective of their school where they study or they have opted for home based education as a choice permitted to them under section 3(iii) of the RTE Act, 2009.
The Delhi High Court directed that private unaided schools shall be entitled to claim reimbursement of reasonable cost for procurement of the said gadgets or digital equipment as well as internet package from the State under RTE Act, 2009, even though the state is not providing the same to its students.
The Apex Court bench also directed the constitution of a three-member committee comprising Secretary, Education, Ministry of Education, Central Government or his nominee, Secretary Education, GNCTD or his nominee, and a representative of respondent No.18 to frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for identification of standard gadget(s)/equipment(s) as well as the manufacturer/supplier and internet package so that EWS/DG students can access elementary education through digital online means.
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