Parents and several education bodies have raised objections against the state education department’s recent decision to grant private schools the authority to verify documents of students seeking admission under the Right to Education (RTE) Act’s 25 per cent reservation quota.
Nishigandha Sane, a parent, said, “Giving schools the power to scrutinise documents could lead to arbitrary rejection of applications, ultimately increasing the number of vacant seats under the RTE quota.”
Earlier, a 20-member independent scrutiny committee headed by the block education officer and including headmasters, teachers, parents, and education officials, conducted document verification. The mechanism ensured transparency and democratic functioning.
Under the new rules, schools will independently examine documents and decide on admissions. “Schools do not have the authority to reject admissions after the scrutiny committee clears applications. Handing over the power to schools raises serious concerns about fairness and misuse,” said Sharad Javadekar, working president of the Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Adhyapak Sabha.
He also pointed out that changes in the admission guidelines could further worsen the problem of vacant seats. In the academic year 2025–26, nearly 20 per cent of RTE seats across the state remained vacant. Of the 88,182 students admitted, 15,706 were enrolled in schools located more than one kilometre away from their residence.
Under the revised rules, admissions are restricted to private schools within a one-kilometre radius, a condition critics describe as illegal and impractical. “The clause could push vacancy levels beyond 30 per cent, directly harming students from economically weaker sections.”
{{/usCountry}}Under the revised rules, admissions are restricted to private schools within a one-kilometre radius, a condition critics describe as illegal and impractical. “The clause could push vacancy levels beyond 30 per cent, directly harming students from economically weaker sections.”
{{/usCountry}}Sharad Gosavi, director, primary education, said, “The verification carried out by schools is not final and parents have the right to raise objections if admissions are denied due to alleged discrepancies in documents. If parents believe admission was wrongly denied, they can appeal and seek redressal.”