New Delhi, Aug 5 - Unhappy over provisions of the education bill passed in the Lok Sabha Tuesday to ensure free and compulsory education to children aged 6-14 years, a leading educationist Wednesday protested the 'highly flawed bill' and said he will challenge it in the Supreme Court.

Rejecting Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal's claim that it was a 'historic legislation', eminent educationist Anil Sadgopal said: 'It will be the most unfortunate day when the bill eventually becomes a legislation.'

According to him, many educationists and civil rights groups are organising a protest Friday against the bill at the Jantar Mantar here against the 'highly flawed and anti-child legislation'.

Sadgopal, who was a member of the 2005 Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) headed by Kapil Sibal to work on the right to education legislation, said: 'The bill will help the private sector schools and in no way provide for equal educational opportunities to all.'

'Will the private schools stop charging fees from children aged six to 14 years after this? The bill is silent,' Sadgopal told IANS by phone from Bhopal.

'It provides for 25 percent reservation to children from backward and economically weak sections. It doesn't spell out if they would sit in the same classroom. Will the private schools sit such children with the fee-paying ones?'

'It is yet to become a law and awaiting the presidential assent.