‘Schools will be punished for denying admissions to poor students’

Under the RTE act, they can avail of free primary education and the tuition fee is reimbursed to the schools

The 33 schools that denied admissions to students eligible under the Right to Education (RTE) quota will face action in the coming weeks.

Under the RTE act, they can avail of free primary education and the tuition fee is reimbursed to the schools.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will hold inquiries against the schools, once they re-open after the Diwali break. The civic body had earlier sent show-cause notices to the schools.

The centralised online admissions for 25% reserved seats -- in entry level and Class 1 -- for poor students were held between April and September. Under the RTE act, they can avail of free primary education and the tuition fee is reimbursed to the schools.

Mahesh Palkar, education officer, said, “Some schools might not have replied to our notices because they went on a Diwali break. “We will carry out a review next week. We will check their status and recommend action depending on their reply.”

The BMC refused to reveal the names of the schools. Two of the schools had denied admissions to students who submitted fake income certificates, despite the officials instructing schools to admit those furnishing original certificates later.