HC Directs Delhi Govt to provide gadgets, internet facility to poor students for online classes

The Delhi High Court Friday directed both private and government schools to give gadgets and internet packages to poor students for virtual classes so that the absence of such facilities do not prevent children from pursuing elementary education.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Sanjeev Narula expressed, “private unaided schools may claim reimbursement of reasonable cost for procurement of the equipment and internet package from the State under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, even though the state is not providing the same to its students”.

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The bench comprises a three-member committee, including the education secretary from the Centre or his nominee, Delhi government’s education secretary or his nominee, and a representative of the private schools. 

The committee was formed to expedite and streamline identifying and supplying the gadgets to students belonging to the economically weaker sections.

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 The court also ordered that the committee should also frame standard operating procedures (SOPs) for identifying the standard of the equipment and internet package to supply to disadvantaged students to remove the financial barrier.

The bench said that it would lead to uniformity in the gadgets and internet package being used by all the poor and disadvantaged students.

The judgment came on a PIL by NGO Justice for All, represented by advocate Khagesh Jha, seeking directions to the Centre and the Delhi government to provide free mobile phones, laptops, or tablets to poor kids so they can access online classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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