Why can't govt come up with best schools at primary level, asks Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stressed the need for more initiatives by the government to establish quality primary schools to beat the rush in some of the minority-run institutions in the country.

"If the government-run medical colleges are considered as best in the country why can't the government come up with best schools at primary level? It is the duty of the government to have more schools," a bench comprising justices A R Dave and U U Lalit said.

"Government medical colleges have been always preferred. Now we are seeing private colleges because of business purpose," the bench observed.

The remarks were made while staying the order of the Karnataka High Court directing some minority institutions to admit children under the 25 per quota falling under backward class in accordance with the Right to Education (RTE).

The schools challenged the order saying that aided and unaided minority institutions are outside the purview of RTE.

They said the high court asked them to take 26 students for nursery as the school managements did not have the certificate of National Commission for Minorities declaring them minority institutions which they secured during the course of litigation.

The apex court was told that if the high court decision was allowed to stand, it will have far reaching consequences as many of the minority-run educational institutions of past have not secured such certificate.

The bench posted the matter for final hearing for November 10 while asking the Karnataka government and others to complete all the paper works so that there would be continuous hearing in the matter.