Pune: How Many Seats Available for Students Through RTE?
Pune, 15th May 2024: After the Bombay High Court granted an interim stay on the changes made by the Department of School Education in the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Department has reinstated the online admission process for RTE. As per the district-wise allocation of schools and admission capacity announced on the RTE website, it is evident that the admission process will be conducted for 1,02,434 seats in 9,138 private schools for the academic year 2024-25.
Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, economically disadvantaged students are entitled to free admission to 25 % of reserved seats in private schools, with the Department of School Education reimbursing the fees. However, delays in fee reimbursement led to opposition from private schools. Additionally, there is an outstanding duty reimbursement of Rs. 2400 crores. In response, the Department of School Education opted to grant preferential admission to government, aided, and local self-government schools, indirectly excluding private schools from RTE. This decision prompted a petition challenging it in the Bombay High Court. The court intervened, staying the Maharashtra State Government’s notification dated 9th February 2024, and reinstating the previous RTE admission process. Following this, changes were made to the RTE website to accommodate the new admission process.
According to statistics available on the website, the admission process for the academic year 2024-25 will encompass 1,02,434 seats across 9,138 private schools in the state. With English-medium schools also included in this count, it’s expected that the number of interested parents will rise. Moreover, parents are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new schedule to reapply.
