RTE admission process begins in Maharashtra

The implementation of the Right to Education Act (RTE) admission process started, and the deadline for school registration has been extended until March 22. Presently, 55,504 schools are registered, offering approximately 733,378 RTE seats. This figure is expected to rise further in the coming days.

Additionally, discussions among education department officials suggest the possibility of commencing student registration for RTE admission in April.

Under the RTE Act, online admission is facilitated by the state school education department, covering 25 per cent of reserved seats. This year, owing to amendments in the RTE Act, both government and privately aided schools fall within the ambit of RTE admissions. However, admission to English medium unaided schools is excluded from this provision, potentially leading to decreased interest among parents in RTE admission, as they are drawn to English medium schools for their children's education. Given that many English medium schools have already completed their admission processes, it remains to be seen how many parents opt for RTE admission.

According to officials from the school education department, approximately 80,000 more schools are expected to register under RTE. While 55,000 schools registered within the initial deadline, the Office of the Director of Primary Education has extended the registration deadline until March 22. Interestingly, this year, schools from districts other than Pune have surpassed Pune district regarding RTE registrations.

In Nashik district, 3,949 schools have registered for RTE admission, followed by 3,472 schools in the neighbouring Ahmednagar district. Pune district ranks third, with 3,156 schools registered. These numbers are poised to increase in the ensuing days.