Single lottery for RTE admissions this year

For the upcoming academic year (2020-21), there will be only one lottery to select students for seats reserved under the 25% Right to Education (RTE) quota. In a

For the upcoming academic year (2020-21), there will be only one lottery to select students for seats reserved under the 25% Right to Education (RTE) quota. In a recent circular, the state education department has released a tentative schedule for the admissions.

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As per a tentative schedule issued by the department, the portal for the application would stay open from February 11 to February 29, 2020. Admissions for students who are waitlisted will be conducted between April 13 and May 22.

“There will be a single lottery this time for which all the interested students will be able to apply. Those who are allotted seats can confirm their admissions in the respective schools as per the schedule. The remaining students would be waitlisted depending on the vacancies available in schools,” reads the circular.

Like last year, parents who have been allotted schools would have to get their documents verified from a committee formed by the education department. With nearly 39,000 seats lying vacant under the quota last year, the education department had to announce an additional round after four regular rounds last year. Of these, 4000 vacant seats were from schools in Mumbai.

Activists said that the government should ensure that all the vacant seats are filled. “Whether they take one round or more, they have to ensure that seats do not remain vacant when there are several students who fail to get allotments. We also want to ask the government to do away with the scrutinising committee, as it is yet another hurdle in parents getting admissions,” said Sudhir Paranjape, a city-based RTE activist.