Children of farmers who have committed suicide will be given preference during RTE quota admissions in private unaided schools.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has decided to include the children under the disadvantaged category.
“This will help them get preference in the admission process. We hope this will ensure that they get access to a formal school,” a department official said. A notification will be issued shortly, an official said. The Assistant Director of the Agriculture Department needs to verify and state that it is a case of farmer suicide.
Online application
Meanwhile, to fill 1.3 lakh RTE quota seats this year, the online admission process is likely to begin on March 1 and end on March 31.
P.C. Jaffer, State project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, told presspersons that they were planning to have an online complaint mechanism to address grievances of parents. He also said parents can apply to schools in the adjoining wards but preference would be given to school within the ward.
To weed out middlemen, DPI will open kiosks at the office of the Block Education Officer and Deputy Director of Public Instruction to help parents file online application forms free of cost. Parents can also file applications at Bangalore One, Karnataka One centres, and the Nada Kacheri offices by paying ₹15.
Mr. Jaffer said that for the first time Aadhaar had been made compulsory for RTE admissions.
