With the School Education Department receiving 1,28,465 applications for admission to private matriculation and elementary schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, lots will be drawn on Monday in institutions across the State where the number of applications received is more than the quota.
“Lots will be drawn in nearly 50% of the matriculation and primary schools to allot seats for the large number of candidates who have applied for admissions under the RTE Act quota. While the schools have been briefed on how to go about this procedure, officials from the department, including Chief Educational Officers, will be visiting a few schools in their areas (to supervise the draw of lots),” said S. Kanappan, Director of Matriculation schools.
Under the RTE Act, in each school 25% of the seats in entry level classes have been reserved for admissions for the weaker sections.
90,000 RTE t seats
For the coming academic year, the department conducted awareness drive at the district level to make people aware of the process, and that the number of applications received was high in the last few years.
Lots have been drawn in all districts, barring Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
Applications received in the first round have been scrutinised to see if they met the guidelines and parents who have applied for admissions to schools have been intimated to be present on Monday, Mr Kanappan added.
Online applications under the RTE Act were opened on April 20 and officials from the Education department said that there were over 90,000 RTE Act seats with over 62,000 seats in private matriculation schools alone. Madurai received 9,000 applications, the highest number this year, followed by Chennai and Vellore.
In Madurai, revenue officials, too, will be visiting schools where the draw of lots will be carried out in the presence of parents and children.
