Fallout of loss of jobs during pandemic, applications for admission under RTE doubles

Mumbai: The Covid-19 pandemic led to loss of jobs of many parents in the lower middle-class section and they can no longer afford their children’s school fees

Mumbai: The Covid-19 pandemic led to loss of jobs of many parents in the lower middle-class section and they can no longer afford their children’s school fees. As a result, applications for admissions to 25% seats in primary schools reserved under the Right To Education (RTE) for students from economically weaker sections have doubled this year.

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Nitin Dalavi, an education activist, said, “Due to Covid pandemic, many from the lower middle-class, who lost their jobs, are now seeking school admission for their children via the RTE quota. This is the main reason we discovered while advising parents on the admissions process.”

In just two weeks, the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) has received 2,17,461 applications for 1,01,969 seats in the state. In Mumbai, 12,765 applications have been received for 5,202 seats in 272 schools. With the deadline for applying for admission is March 17, education department officials are expecting a further increase in the applications.

An official said that as there are more applicants than seats available under RTE, students will be admitted via lottery system as per directorate’s guideline.

Since 2013, students from economically weaker sections have been admitted to 25% seats in private schools across the state; their fees are paid by the state government. The DPE started the registration process for RTE admission on March 3.

“This year, various types of campaigns were implemented to create awareness on RTE admissions among parents, which is also one of the reasons for the increase in applications,” said Dalavi.

Dalavi added that data available on the admission portal revealed that demand for RTE admission is high in schools in tier I cities, which includes cities like Mumbai, Pune, Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Nashik, and Thane.

An official of the education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, said, “For RTE, we are getting more applications than the seats available. Students will be admitted via lottery system per the directorate’s guideline. Even if a student is allotted a school in lottery, the final admission will be based on documents submitted and distance between residence and the school.”

As per RTE, first preference should be given to students living within the radius of one kilometre from the school and then thos who live within two to three kilometres.