Pvt schools continue to flout RTE guidelines

Over 7.5k students denied admission; show-cause notices served to 600 schools, says Samagra Shiksha official

- K Kalyan Krishna Kumar @ Vijayawada

DESPITE clear directives from the State government and the High Court, several private unaided schools across Andhra Pradesh continue to defy Section 12(1)(C) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, by refusing to admit underprivileged children entitled to 25% reservation in Class 1. As a result, more than 7,500 students allotted seats in the first round remain unadmitted.

According to Samagra Shiksha officials, 37,427 applications were received under the RTE quota for Class I admissions. Of these, 28,561 were found eligible. In the first round of allotment, 23,118 students were granted seats, but only 15,541 joined. A second round has now allotted 8,583 seats, with admissions scheduled from June 21 to 28. Final figures will be available after this phase concludes. However, implementation of the Act remains patchy.