The admission process to fill 25 per cent seats in private educational institutions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 will begin on Tuesday.
According to the calendar of events issued by the Department of Public Instruction, the application process will begin on January 7 and will continue till February 8.
Commissioner, Public Instruction, Mohammad Mohsin told The Hindu that the exact number of seats under Act will be known only after the completion of the admission process. “There may be an increase… some new schools may have been established. We can ascertain this only at the end of admissions,” he said.
He said that the department would initiate action against schools that refuse admissions under the Act. There were clear-cut guidelines from the Union government and Supreme Court regarding the RTE admissions.
Asked about the reimbursement of fees for seats under the RTE Act, he said that the government had released Rs. 45 crore as reimbursement and the amount would reach the schools in a couple of days.
The reimbursement ceiling has been fixed at Rs. 11,488 a year for a child admitted to class one and Rs. 5,924 a year for a child in LKG. However, the private school managements have been demanding an increase in the ceiling. Mr. Mohsin said that while the department was open to an examination of their demand, the school managements must submit audit reports to justify it.
“They must submit documents to show that their expenditure has increased. After just one year, they cannot demand an increase in the ceiling without furnishing any documents,” he said.
Meanwhile, State Organising Secretary of Karnataka Private School Managements Shashi Kumar D. said that they will support the process of admitting students under RTE Act, but would reiterate their demand for early reimbursement of fees.
Claiming that reimbursement was yet to reach the managements of private institutions, Mr. Shashi Kumar said that the managements will meet in the coming days to take a collective decision on the next course of action to press for their long-pending demands.
