Major push to aid RTE admissions

62,351 seats in matriculation schools allotted; admissions to start on April 20

Tiruvallur education district has allocated the highest number of seats for entry-level admissions under the provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Tamil Nadu — 4,622 seats across 298 private matriculation schools. With 4,235 seats, Chennai district is second in the list.

The School Education Department has stated that a total of 62,351 seats across matriculation schools in the State have been set apart under the RTE Act for 2018-19 to enable admissions to underprivileged children. This represents an increase of over 600 seats over the previous year.

Online admissions

The admissions will begin on April 20 and go on till May 15. The State had, for the first time, made admissions possible online also last year. The facility is available this year as well.

All matriculation schools have been told to place boards on their premises indicating details regarding the total number of seats in LKG or any other entry-level class there, and the number of seats allocated for RTE admissions. Chief educational officers (CEOs) in each educational district have been asked to speak to principals and implement this system to make the process transparent, a senior official from the school education department said.

Some 95,000 seats in all schools including CBSE were filled under the RTE provision last year.

Parents made aware

District administrations have been speaking to school managements on the process of admissions and have conducted awareness drives among the public. In Ariyalur district, for instance, pamphlets have been circulated with details regarding where people could go to procure and submit applications. These include the offices of the CEOs and Inspectors of matriculation schools.

The department has put up school education district-wise lists of matriculation schools and the number of seats allocated. Parents can check the list and apply.

“Parents should be aware about the documents required and check boards kept outside schools regarding the details of seats available and the norms. We’ve seen that most parents prefer only a handful of schools and don’t scope out for other good institutions which will meet the norms for admissions — mainly the distance from their home to the school,” said K.R. Nandhakumar, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Nursery, Primary Matriculation and CBSE Schools Association.

Last month, the School Education Department sanctioned around ₹180 crore towards reimbursement claims made for admissions to unaided private schools in 2016-17 under the RTE Act. Schools want speedy reimbursement of the amounts, Mr. Nandhakumar said.