A total of 96,908 seats, of the 1.29 lakh available under the Right to Education (RTE) Act quota, were allotted in the first round of the process on April 28. Parents who have not applied for seats under the quota or whose children have not been allotted seats under the quota will now get another chance to apply.
Although the demand for seats was one-and-a-half times more than the number of seats available, officials said the demand was uneven.
“While there were scores of applications for seats in some schools, some schools received no application at all,” said an official with the Department of Public Instruction.
As many as 328 schools having more than 1,000 seats in all under the quota received no application. The official said most of these schools had poor infrastructure and teaching resources.
Sowjanya, Commissioner for Public Instruction, said that parents who had not applied could apply now and those who had already applied but were not allotted seats in the first round could tweak their options and include schools in the neighbourhood that have seats.
Such candidates can apply between May 4 and 9, the department said in a press release. The department has also urged parents not to rely on middlemen for getting an RTE quota seat. In case they come across any middleman, parents can complain to the Director (Primary) on 9448999411 or send an email to prydirector.edu.sgkar@nic.in, the release said.
Admission hurdles
While parents whose children have got a seat in the school of their choice are relieved, many are finding it difficult to navigate the complex admission process.
For instance, some schools are asking parents to come later this month as they are closed for the summer vacation.
A parent whose child was allotted a seat in a school at Prakashnagar, said, “I went to the school on Wednesday and they made me pay ₹100 for the application form and asked me to return and complete the admission process on May 11. But I am anxious as the last date to complete the admission process is May 10, and the school management hasn’t given me details.” Several schools are also asking parents to bring certain documents for verification, but the department has clarified that the verification process has been completed. Parents do not have to go through the process again, said a department official.
Overaged child allotted seat
While the Department of Public Instruction has laid down strict age criteria for admissions under the RTE Act quota, in a rare case, a child older than the cut-off age has been allotted an LKG seat. The child, who is six years and three months old, was given an LKG seat at Aravind Vidya Samsthe, Anekal, although the age criterion for admissions to LKG is 3 years and 10 months to 4 years 10 months.
Sources in the department said it was a case of “oversight” as the application was filed under the Children With Special Needs category, which had been rejected. “While the application was converted into a general application, the class was not changed. In all probability, this seat allotment will get cancelled,” an official said.
‘Parents cannot be compelled to buy books, uniforms in school’
Private schools can no longer compel their students to buy textbooks, notebooks, uniforms or stationery items from them or through selected vendors.
A circular issued by the Commissioner for Public Instruction on Tuesday said this would be applicable to all schools affiliated to the State board, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations. The circular noted that private schools affiliated to the State board should sell books procured through the Karnataka Textbook Society at the market rate.
For the first time, students admitted under the RTE quota in State syllabus schools this year will get textbooks for free. The department has reiterated that schools would be at the risk of losing their affiliation or being penalised if they demanded any money from students under the RTE quota.
