Rising RTE admissions amid stagnant reimbursement in U.P.

Although seat allotments for economically weaker section (EWS) children in Uttar Pradesh under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, have increased from 54 in 2013 to over 1.85 lakh this year, the state government has not revised the reimbursement amount payable to private schools per child ever since the Act was adopted in the state in 2013.

- Rajeev Mullick

LUCKNOW:

The reimbursement amount in U.P. continues to be Rs 5400 annually for the past 12 years or Rs 450 per month per child with an additional Rs 5,000 provided to RTE students for the purchase of books and uniform.

In contrast, Delhi reimburses Rs 26,800 annually per child while Gujarat reimburses Rs 20,000. Tamil Nadu pays between Rs 12,076 and Rs 15,711, Uttarakhand pays Rs 18,311, Andhra Pradesh reimburses between Rs 5100 and Rs 8,000 (rates vary based on locations like rural or urban area). Besides, Maharashtra reimburses Rs 17,760 yearly, Rajasthan pays Rs 14,141, Karnataka Rs 11,848, Odisha Rs 9184 and Chhattisgarh Rs 7,650.

'Govt has no plans to revise reimbursement amount'

Additional chief secretary, basic and secondary education, U.P., Deepak Kumar said, "Hike or revision in reimbursement to private schools under RTE is nowhere on the agenda of the state government as of now. We have improved the infrastructure in government institutions and we encourage EWS students to seek admission in government institutions."

'Govt must revise reimbursement amount'