Young volunteers help parents from marginalised sections admit their kids in private schools for free education

Govt. notified opening of online portal on February 26 mandating allotment of 25% of seats in Class 1 of all private unaided schools under RTE Act

Even as the State Government has launched an online portal for admissions under Section 12 (1) (C) of the Right to Education Act, young volunteers from NGOs are working overtime to educate and motivate parents of schoolchildren from marginalised communities to utilise the opportunity and get their wards admitted in private schools under quota.

The Government notified opening of the online portal on February 26, which mandates allotment of 25 % of seats in Class 1 of all private unaided schools, including IB/ICSE/CBSE and State syllabus schools.

The objective is to promote social inclusiveness by providing children from marginal communities access to quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds.

Enabling the process of RTE 12 (1) (C) admissions online is in line with the Government’s track record of adeptly using technology for seamless access to other welfare initiatives. Delhi-based youth NGO Indus Action has partnered with the State government to support its digital approach and eliminate difficulties, both for parents and government officials during the admission cycle, using its experience of Section 12 (1) © both in offline and online formats in 19 other States. “Implementation of this clause in the RTE is Andhra Pradesh Government’s due recognition of the worldwide expectation of a future progressive society that is fair, inclusive and egalitarian,” said R. Shhiva of Indus Action.

Siva Karthik Valaparla, Lead Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Indus Action, said the organisation is trying to ensure maximum applications to see that the marginalised communities benefit from the initiative.

The applications for admissions in private schools will remain open till April 10 and they can be submitted online at village and ward secretariats for free, he informed.

Young volunteers of Democratic Sangha, an NGO active in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, under the leadership of its found Brahmachari Chaitanya, have been running an awareness campaign on various social media platforms. Their campaign has received active support from Telugu film industry personalities like Sai Dharam Tej, Regina Cassandra, Lakshmi Manchu, Bindu Madhavi, Hebah Patel and Pradeep Manchiraju among others.

Monk Chaitanya, along with his team members, has been actively working at the grassroot level to spread awareness among the beneficiaries to enable them to utilise the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota in schools for their children. “Access to quality education is a basic human right and it should never be a privilege,” said Brahmachari Chaitanya.

Parents who want to admit their children in a private school for free education can call on Democratic Sangha’s helpline number-9491740507 for assistance, he said.