Bethany High School, Bangalore may just have the lessons in discrimination no one needs. The school, in a circular to parents, has said that the right to education binds it to set aside 25 percent of its seats for students from economically weaker sections (EWS), and that such a practice will be "detrimental to the psyche of all children, yours and the others" and the school, well, "has to sit back and admit indiscriminately."

What can be more effective for drumming up paranoia in an urban, midlleclass, white-collar crowd than a fear of 'slums', after all! The school also claims that the RTE will not only make it impossible for the school to deny admissions selectively but also will take away the power to expel "them" under disciplinary grounds.

The school fears it will soon be a vice-den with "another child" beating up "your child", smoking and 'misbehaving' with girls or teachers.

But what has RTE and equal opportunities got to do with any of it? Does the school mean to say that underage smoking, bullying and sexual harassment is only practiced by EWS children? The principal, offering some clarification, has said that the school was referring to all the children and not just "the 25 percent who will come in." But for all his clarifications, the circular did say this in the context of the  RTE and the EWS students.

(Excerpts of the circular, as reported by the Times of India : "Under this Act all private, unaided schools will have to accomodate 25% of their strength of children around the neighbourhood without any screening. This means that any child will have to be allowed into school and share the classroom with your child. Eminent psychologists have said that this will be detrimental to the psyche of all children, yours and the others, and the chool has to sit back and asmit indiscriminately and can not refuse admission.)

It made it abundantly clear to the parents that implementing the RTE will take maintaining discipline out of the school authorities' hands. It flashed ill-disguised nudges trying to make the parents think that EWS students will bring in smoking, bullying and molesting with them.

Whatever be the reasons it is playing-up biases, sterotypes, and ultimately, fears of a classist nature - the school is bringing down the egalitarian ideals behind the Right to Education. The universalisation of education is a need for the country - a real, pressing need. Even if the RTE isn't free of imperfections, it is a giant leap towards fulfilling this need. And while debates and perspectives are necessary to give the RTE greater efficacy, biases and prejudice will only impede it.

So, even if the school comes forward and apologises for its blatant prejudices, can it be trusted to teach children values and ideals?

Shouldn't the school be derecognised by all boards and affiliations for fuelling classist biases and impeding the RTE?