No, Delhi Government Is Not Refunding Tuition Fees for ‘Only Muslim Students'

DMC Chairperson Zakir Khan rubbished the claim, stating that the scheme was applicable to all religious minorities.

The circular is being shared to claim that the Delhi government has directed private schools to reimburse tuition fees to only Muslim students.

(Source: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

An image of a circular regarding the “reimbursement of tuition fees to the Minority Students of Classes I to XII for 2020-21 and 2021-22,” issued by Delhi’s Directorate of Education, is being shared across social media.

Social media users are sharing the circular claiming that the Delhi government has directed private schools to refund school fees of Muslim students only, demanding that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal do the same for students from weaker economic backgrounds.

However, the claim is misleading.

As per the Delhi government’s website, the scheme applies to students belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Communities (OBC) and Minorities – which includes students from the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Zoroastrian (Parsi) and Jain communities who attend government-recognised private schools.

CLAIM

The image of the circular with some highlighted sections is being shared to claim that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government has announced a scheme where students from the Muslim community would receive a full reimbursement for the school fees.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Archived versions of more posts on social media with the same claim can be seen here, here, here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND

First, we looked for reports on the scheme and found one by News18. The article discussed the Delhi government’s move directing private schools to reimburse tuition fees for students belonging to minority communities for academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22.

The article noted that the issue came under scrutiny after some schools had failed to complete their registration process in time, prompting the government to push them to expedite it. However, there was no mention of religion in the report.

Next, we went to the Delhi’s Education Department website and carefully read through the circular in question. Here too, there was no mention of a specific religious community.

We then looked up “Reimbursement of Tuition fees to the Minority Students of Classes to XII” and were led to a document on the Delhi government’s Welfare of SC/ST website, which detailed the scheme in question.

The document provided details on the state’s scholarship scheme for students from “SC/ST/OBC/Minorities students in recognised private schools,” along with the terms of availing the scheme’s benefits.

It noted that the applicant’s family income could not exceed two lakh rupees per annum and should be a resident of Delhi for the past three years.

A caste certificate would be required for applicants from the SC, ST and OBC communities, while a declaration would be required by parents or guardians to show that “his Son/Daughter belongs to a particular Minority Community.”

The circular shows that students from all religious minority communities as well as those from the SC,ST, and OBC communities can avail the scheme’s benefits.

(Source: SCSTWelfare/Screenshot)

The Delhi government website also provides details regarding welfare schemes for minority students, by the Government of India as well as the state government. Here, a similar scheme is mentioned for minority students attending public schools.

We, then, visited the Delhi Minorities Commission’s website, which noted that ‘Minorities’ referred to people from the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain communities.

The DMC website provides clarity on those constituting ‘minorities’.

(Source: DMC/Screenshot)

Delhi Minorities Chairperson Zakir Khan rubbished the claim while speaking to The Quint.

“This is not true. The tuition fees reimbursement is applicable for Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Parsi and Jain students, as well as the SC,ST and OBC communities studying in private schools. It covers up to Rs 48,000, or up to Rs 4,000 a month, in only tuition fees, other charges are not included.”

Delhi Minorities Chairperson Zakir Khan

He elaborated that the Revenue Department handled schemes related to religious minorities, while the Social Welfare Ministry looked after the SC, ST, and OBC categories.

Clearly, the Delhi government has not directed private schools to reimburse tuition fees for students belonging only to the Muslim community. Students from the Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian communities attending private schools are also eligible to avail these benefits.

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