53 Pune Schools Reject RTE Admission; Student Registration Expected in 4-5 Days

53 schools in Pune are currently facing rejection from the Right to Education (RTE) admission process as they fail to register. Despite the commencement of admissions for the 25 per cent reserved category as per the RTE Act, these schools have not fulfilled their registration. The Education Department is actively working to integrate these schools into the RTE admission process.

Student registration for RTE admission is expected to commence within the next 4-5 days, as confirmed by senior officials of the education department. A deadline was initially set for school registration for RTE admission, yet numerous self-financed schools have not adhered to this requirement. 

The opposition from these schools stems from recent amendments to the RTE Act, particularly regarding fee reimbursement rules. Despite a substantial number of schools statewide participating in the registration process—amounting to 75,856 schools—more than 9,70,000 RTE admission seats are expected to be available this year.

Regrettably, some schools in Pune are obstructing the RTE admission process even before it officially begins. According to Pune Zilla Parishad education officials, out of 5,248 eligible schools in the Pune district, only 5,195 have registered. The remaining 53 schools are adamantly refusing to engage in RTE admission procedures.

Efforts are underway by the education department to persuade these resistant schools to register and comply with RTE guidelines. The student registration process for RTE admission, facilitated by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), is slated to commence this week. However, should any delays arise, the education department ensures that student registration will commence without fail in the following week.