The Right to Education (RTE) Act, which provides free admission for 25% of seats in private schools to students from economically weaker sections, has seen an overwhelming response this year. A total of 17,415 applications have been received for 5,296 seats across 407 schools in the district. This means there are three applicants for every available seat.
The application deadline was extended until February 2, allowing more parents to apply. With the registration process now closed, the next step is a lottery system, which will determine which students secure admission. Parents are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the draw date.
Last year, RTE admissions were delayed by six months due to policy changes. Additionally, the government had excluded English-medium private schools from the scheme and reduced the eligible school radius from 3 km to 1 km, which led to parents protesting and even approaching the Supreme Court.
Now, after scrutiny of documents, a selection list and a waiting list will be published. Students in the selection list will be given admission first, followed by those on the waiting list if seats remain. The verification committee will check the documents before finalizing admissions.
With competition high and limited seats available, parents remain anxious, hoping for a fair and timely lottery process.