RTE admissions to 1 lakh seats commence Friday

Admissions under the Right To Education (RTE) quota in private schools are set to commence from Friday, May 17 and a school education department circular says a little over 1 lakh seats will be filled under the RTE quota

Mumbai: Admissions under the Right To Education (RTE) quota in private schools are set to commence from Friday, May 17. A school education department circular says a little over 1 lakh seats will be filled under the RTE quota.

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In February this year, the government had through an amendment to RTE rules exempted private schools located within 1 km of government schools from RTE admissions. But by including government schools in the RTE category, the government had shown a figure of some 9.5 lakh seats coming under the RTE.

In a recent ruling, the Bombay high court stayed the February amendment. Parents are now required to restart the process with fresh online registrations as the admission process stands relaunched.

In February, the Maharashtra government amended the rules for RTE implementation in the state. However, following the HC’s stay on the amendment, the RTE admission process in the state has reverted to the original system. This system mandates that the RTE quota comprises 25 percent of seats in self-financed and private schools for students from economically backward sections of society, offering them free education with reimbursement of fees by the government.

In light of the changes, there are now some 9,138 schools offering 1,02,434 seats for admission under the RTE quota for the academic year 2024-25. Aurangabad district leads with 573 schools and 4,441 seats for RTE quota admissions.

The RTE admissions, already delayed, were further halted this year after the amended rules faced legal challenges. Approximately 70,000 applications were submitted for RTE admissions in Maharashtra when the process initially began in April. However, parents will now need to reapply with the new admission process.

Sharad Gosavi, director of school education (primary), says, “The new admission process will commence from Friday, May 17, when online registrations restart. It’s crucial for parents to note that this is a fresh application process, requiring all previous applicants to re-register.”