New Delhi: Tamil Nadu will commence admissions in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act for the 2025-26 academic session from October 9 after the Centre released the state’s due share of approximately ₹700 crore, the state government announced on Thursday.
The admission notification will be issued on October 6 and the state will publish its final list of eligible children to be admitted under the RTE on October 14. Under the RTE Act, a quarter of seats in entry-level classes, including LKG and class 1, in private schools are reserved for students from the marginalised communities.
“The Government of Tamil Nadu announces the commencement of admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) for the academic year 2025-26,” Tamil Nadu school education department said in a statement. “This decision follows the release of the State’s due share of RTE reimbursement funds by the Government of India…A special 10-day online admission window has been scheduled to regularise eligible children already admitted under the RTE quota.”
Normally, RTE admissions begin in mid-April and conclude by May. However, the 2025-26 admission process was delayed due to the Centre’s withholding the state’s share of funds. The BJP-led Union government has released the fund following an intervention from the Madras high court and the Supreme Court.
{{/usCountry}}Normally, RTE admissions begin in mid-April and conclude by May. However, the 2025-26 admission process was delayed due to the Centre’s withholding the state’s share of funds. The BJP-led Union government has released the fund following an intervention from the Madras high court and the Supreme Court.
{{/usCountry}}On June 10, the high court directed the Centre to consider delinking RTE reimbursements from the broader Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme after the DMK-led state government submitted that the Centre was making release of SSA funds conditional and penalising the state for not adopting the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 and not signing any MoU under the PM SHRI Schools scheme.
As the Centre did not comply with the directive on time, the state filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. On September 1, the apex court issued a notice to the Centre, seeking its response within four weeks on the state’s argument that both the Centre and state share concurrent responsibilities for funding education under the RTE Act, and the withholding of funds was unjust.
The Union education ministry convened a supplementary Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting on August 22 and sanctioned approximately ₹700 crore — ₹362 crore for 2024-25 and ₹352 crore for 2025-26 — under the RTE components to Tamil Nadu. The amount is to be paid in two instalments, officials said.
According to a circular from the Tamil Nadu education department on Thursday, RTE admissions will begin on October 9. Principals are required to identify eligible students, obtain written parental consent, and upload the total number of seats filled in entry-level classes by October 7. The online admission process will be conducted through the department’s official RTE portal, with a 10-day window to regularise eligible children under the RTE quota. Schools are mandated to refund any fees collected within seven working days, with confirmation from both the school and parents.
To oversee the process, a district-level monitoring committee, headed by the chief educational officer, has been established in each district, the circular said.
(With inputs from Divya Chandrababu)