Maharashtra govt to take stock of RTE admissions done in past 5 years

Maharashtra government will now take a stock of the five years of implementing the 25% reservation for students from economically weaker sections. Schools will have to furnish information on the students admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) quota five years ago...

Maharashtra government will now take a stock of the five years of implementing the 25% reservation for students from economically weaker sections. Schools will have to furnish information on the students admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) quota five years ago. The school education department has asked the Pune-based National Informatics Centre (NIC) to check if the quota students in unaided, non-minority schools are receiving free education, states a government resolution issued on Tuesday evening.

The eight-paged GR, issued this year, attempts to streamline the online admission process, which has been marked by frequent delays, inconsistencies and confusion in the past.(Representation pic)

As per the GR, this year, the online admission process to fill the quota seats will be held between January 16 and April 29 across the state and schools will be able to admit students to the entry-level of their choice. Seats will be allotted through five lottery rounds.

The eight-paged GR attempts to streamline the online admission process, which has been marked by frequent delays, inconsistencies and confusion in the past.

It states that schools will have to take efforts to ensure that RTE students do not dropout later and are brought on par with other students. No discrimination will be tolerated, it adds. 

The GR states that it will be mandatory for eligible schools to register for the online admissions in the stipulated 15 days failing which education officials can issue notice recommending de-recognition. 

To prevent schools from rejecting admissions on technical grounds, the GR states that only the education officers will have to power to verify documents-this will be done at the time of filling the online application. Schools cannot independently verify any documents including income certificates issued by the Tehsildar’s office.

“Schools will not be able to reject admissions on the grounds of inauthentic documents or spelling mistakes in the application form,” said Suvarna Kharat, deputy secretary of the department. Last year, a school in South Mumbai had appointed a private detective to check the candidates. 

Education officials will also have to make videos and upload them on YouTube to spread awareness about the RTE seats, along with banners and pamphlets. The GR states that admissions will be cancelled if the child doesn’t report to the allotted school on the given date to confirm admissions. Once admitted, the student will not be eligible for the future rounds.