2 years on, no EWS seat update on UT website

CHANDIGARH: The UT education department hasn't updated a vital section of its website for more than two years. A check by The Times of India revealed on Sunday that the portal's section on the status of economically weaker section (EWS) seats at private schools had not been updated since September 2015.
This is not the first time that the department, which falls under the UT administration, has been found lax when it comes to making updates on its website.Earlier, TOI had reported that the websites of UT schools had been taken over by e-shopping websites, as the department had failed to keep a check on the progress of digitization.
After TOI wrote about the issue, the department had ordered its schools to take corrective action. After this, the department was found having an outdated seniority list on its website. Now, the education department's website has a special section named 'Status of 25% EWS'. On clicking it, the visitor is directed to a link, 'EWS filled seat record 2015-16 updated on September 9, 2015'.
An official of the education department, who did not wish to be named, said the information had not been updated because schools had not been sending information to them. "We have been asking schools to send data and we have maintained it for every year. Even this year, after admission season, we asked schools to send details of total number of students in a class, seats reserved under RTE, and seats reserved under land allotment scheme. We will have to check why it has not been uploaded," said the official. When contacted, UT education secretary BL Sharma said he would get the list updated.
Chandigarh Parents' Association president Nitin Goyal said the department was least bothered about admissions under EWS.
"It is insensitive towards the education of students belonging to EWS. Neither they update the website with information about seats available in schools, nor is there any other centralized source of information for students from poor families," he said.
He said complaints against schools for non-compliance of laws relating to EWS admissions, were handled "mechanically". "Schools have been illegally denying admissions under EWS category for senior classes even when seats are vacant," Goyal said.