Pune: The Maharashtra School Education Department on Monday extended the deadline for filling online applications under the 25% quota of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, from March 18 to March 25.
The extension comes after observations made by the Bombay high court, Nagpur Bench, in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), stating that children cannot be prevented from seeking admission to schools located beyond 1 km if no school is available within that distance from their residence.
Previously, parents could only select schools within a 1-km radius. The department has also instructed that all applications be temporarily “unconfirmed”, allowing parents to review their options again. A pop-up notification will display on the portal enabling parents to reconfirm their applications after selecting schools based on the revised criteria.
Under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, private unaided schools must reserve 25% seats for children from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups and provide them free education.