School chairman alleges irregularities in RTE admissions, demands action

Alibag school chairman raises concerns over RTE admission irregularities, claiming most assigned students don't meet eligibility criteria.

MUMBAI: A school chairman in Alibag expressed concerns regarding the scrutiny of documents for applicants seeking admission under the 25% quota established by the Right to Education (RTE) Act. This is reportedly the first time a school’s management has formally pointed out such discrepancies in the RTE admission process.

School chairman alleges irregularities in RTE admissions, demands action

Amar Warde, chairman of the Dattajirao Khanvilkar Education Trust’s Chintamanrao Kelkar Vidyalaya, in a February 24 letter addressed to Dada Bhuse, the school education minister, claimed that 23 out of 29 students assigned to his school under the RTE quota do not meet the basic eligibility criteria.

Speaking to HT, Warde said the primary eligibility criterion for RTE admissions requires children seeking admission under the quota in Classes one to four to reside within a one-kilometre radius of the school. However, he alleged that most students assigned to his school are from outside this prescribed distance. “23 students who have been allotted admission in my school reside beyond the one-kilometre periphery. One student is living as far as 44 km away, while another is 13.3 km away. Only six students on the list are from within the mandated one-kilometre radius,” he said.

Warde further claimed this was not the first instance of such irregularities and recalled his school receiving a list of eight students under RTE in the 2019-20 academic year, five of whom resided 65 km away. The farthest student was from Belapur, he said, located 73.8 km from the school.

He raised concerns about the inclusion of four students who are already enrolled in the school’s pre-primary section as fee-paying students in this year’s RTE list. “These four students had been studying in our pre-primary section, paying an annual fee of ₹11,500. When admitted earlier, their parents declared an annual income exceeding ₹1 lakh. Just before entering Class 1, they now qualify as economically weaker, how is this possible?” Warde questioned.

Highlighting further anomalies, Warde cited an example of an employee in the Raigad Collectorate who draws salary as per the 7th Pay Commission. Despite having monthly deductions of ₹54,000 from his salary, his child is eligible for RTE admission under the economically weaker section (EWS) category. “How can someone with an annual income exceeding ₹7 lakh be classified as economically deprived?” he asked.

Pointing out the lack of transparency in the admission process, Warde said as schools are not allowed to verify the eligibility documents of RTE applicants, it leaves room for manipulation by education authorities, who can arbitrarily admit ineligible students. “It is unfair that schools providing RTE admissions do not even have the right to check relevant documents. Authorities misuse this system to accommodate ineligible students while pressuring schools that raise objections. Any school which complains will have to face legal action, not the culprits,” he alleged.

In a strong appeal to the government, Warde demanded immediate cancellation of the ineligible students in the current RTE admission list and strict action against officials who facilitated these illegal admissions.

The allegations have once again brought the spotlight on implementing the RTE Act in Maharashtra, raising questions about transparency, eligibility verification, and the fair allocation of seats to deserving students. Despite attempts to contact, the education officer from Alibag was not available to comment.