As many as 4,334 students got provisional admission in 193 private schools in the district on Wednesday. Under the Right To Education (RTE) Act, 25% seats in entry classes are reserved for underprivileged students.
Sources in the School Education Department said that of the 405 schools in the district, randomised admission was held to 193 schools. This included 36 nursery and primary schools. The rest were private, matriculation schools.
The department had to go in for randomised admission because the number of students who had sought admission under RTE quota was more than the seats earmarked. In schools where the number of applicants was fewer than seats available, the department directed the schools to straight away admit the students.
Among the students eligible for admission under the RTE quota, those with HIV, orphaned, whose parents worked as conservancy workers, and the differently abled got the first priority. Of the remaining students, those who resided within 1 km from the school got preference, the sources said.
Those who had secured admission would get time till June 5 to submit relevant documents. If they failed to do so, the seat would go to those in waiting list.
MDMK State youth wing secretary, V. Eswaran, said that the department should reveal the details of the number of students who had sought admission under the RTE quota, seats available, students who had applied for admission in more than one school, and those in the waiting list.
Imaigal Arakkattalai, an NGO, has asked the department to initiate action against schools that failed to admit students under the RTE quota.
