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Parents demand RTE admission process resumes to avoid further delays
Lottery under the RTE was declared on April 7, however, the document verification and other procedures were stopped due to the lockdown which continued until May end
With the unlock process ushering in, parents have demanded to restart school admissions under the Right to Education (RTE). The lottery under the RTE was declared on April 7, however, the document verification and other procedures were stopped due to the lockdown which continued until May end. Parents and activists are demanding that the RTE process should restart quickly so that children begin school soon.
Parents of children who have been selected under the RTE lottery have received text messages wherein they are asked to keep the documents for verification ready.
Speaking about the delay in the admission process, Soni Rathod from Undri said that her 6-year-old son has been selected under RTE for admission in Class 1.
“I have received the message so far that the admission process is yet to start. I have seen my number on the online lottery of admission under the RTE. The online lottery was on April 7,” said Rathod.
“Due to the lockdown, there has been a delay. Earlier, we went to the RTE office for enquiry. We were informed that the process will start soon, and the details will be uploaded on the website. The details have not been uploaded yet. We want the online school to start so that the child is busy. The process should not be delayed as the children will suffer academically. While sitting at home, my six-year-old does not study. If the online classes start, at least for some time during the day he will be engaged in something productive,” said Rathod.
Another parent, Nitin Mohare, has been waiting with his documents ready.
“Due to the lockdown, I was forced to come to my village. But if the admission process starts, I’ll have to come back to the city and get the admission. Other schools with regular admissions are charging a huge fee to enrol children. I am unable to pay that. I hope the process resumes soon so that my child does not stay behind in her studies,” said Mohare.
Schools are likely to start their new academic year from June 15.
Last year, due to the pandemic, the online admission was delayed. The process was completed in January 2021 for the academic year 2020-2021.
Under RTE, 25 per cent seats of the unaided private schools are reserved for students from economically backward sections at entry level of preschool and Class 1.
For the academic year 2021-2022, there are 982 RTE registered schools in Pune. Of the 55,813 applications, 14,567 students were selected in Pune during the online lottery.
Mukund Kirdat, city-based education activist and member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said that since the unlock process has begun, the education department should not delay the process further.
Across Maharashtra, there are 82,129 students selected under RTE during the online lottery.
“Many parents received the message around April 15. The education department has wasted one and half month by doing nothing. The department has kept the parents on the waiting list in a limbo. These parents will need more time to get their cold enrolled. And while doing this, they might lose the chance at taking admissions elsewhere,” said Kirdat.
He further added that the shops are now open so why cannot the parents get the documentation verified in the morning time.
“We urge the education department to restart the process of admission soon. This will help parents and students,” said Kirdat.
Education department officials said that parents can visit the official website for more information regarding the online admission process.
