Schools set to reopen but 9K students in Thane district wait to get RTE seats

Parents in dilemma as dates for second lottery yet to be announced

With less than a week left for schools in the city to reopen, there are more than 9,000 students waiting to know if they have qualified for admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) quota.

After the end of the first lottery, 3,957 students secured admissions , while 1,907 students did not take admissions. (Photo for representation)

Without any intimation from the state education board on the second round of the lottery for the admissions, officials from the Thane district education department are also uncertain about dates for the second lottery.

Nitin Dhule, RTE activist, said, “Schools in Kalyan, Dombivli and Navi Mumbai, which are affiliated to the international board have already reopened this week, while the state board schools will begin their new academic year from next week.”

“However, students who have applied under the RTE quota are yet to secure admission. By the time the admission process completes, they would have lost an academic year. If the education department does not announce the dates for the second lottery, we will stage a protest,” said Dhule.

Education department officials from Thane said that the lottery process is followed uniformly across the state and they have to be apprised by the state education board.

“In spite of elections, we went ahead with the first lottery and even sorted out the problems with private schools which were not keen on accepting RTE students. However, as far as the dates for the second lottery are concerned, the process is followed across the state uniformly and we have to wait until the state education board makes an official announcement about it,” said Sangeeta Bhagwat, education officer, zilla parishad.

She has however, assured the admissions of the students in the zilla parishad schools. “We shall ensure that the students are not out of school. If they do not secure admissions under the RTE, we will induct them in zilla parishad schools closer to their home,” she said.

After the end of the first lottery, 3,957 students secured admissions , while 1,907 students did not take admissions.

“These students may have secured admissions elsewhere and by the third lottery, the number of applicants is likely to come down. Unfortunately, owing to the delay, many students fail to avail free education,” said Shahid Ansari, education activist from Kausa.

Ansari points out another worry. According to him, if students under the RTE quota are admitted to schools late, they would take time to adapt to the new environment, and this would lead to higher drop-out rates.

“Ideally the admission process should be completed before June. In case of delay in admission, the schools must give special attention to those securing admissions under the RTE quota, as they belong to the economically weaker sections and would take time to adjust to the environment of a private school. If they are admitted late, they may drop out the following year,” he said.

Parents irked with education department

Parents are worried that if the names of their wards don’t figure in the lottery, their children will lose out an academic year and are irked with the lackadaisical attitude of the education department.

Anil Bhoir is trying to secure admissions for his five-year- old daughter, Ananya.

He said, “We try securing the admissions of our children under the RTE, so that we can avail quality education for our children. Most of us belong to the low-income group. If our child misses out on academics, we will not be able to help them make up for the loss. It will impact their future.”

Some other parents are opting to continue in zilla parishad schools.

“If my daughter does not get through an RTE seat for the pre-primary section, I will again try for Class 1 admissions. Till then, she will study in a zilla parishad school. However, very few schools admit children after the academic year begins,” said Sonali Shedge, the parent of four-year-old, Nakul, from Kalwa.

Students and parents faced problems last year too when RTE admissions were delayed. The admission process began in February 2018 but was completed only in July 2018.