RTE admissions: Only 16K apply for 35K seats

THE Tamil Nadu School Education Department's attempt to fill 25% of seats in unaided non-minority private schools under the RTE Act, 2009, for this academic year, with children already admitted in the entry-level classes of these schools, has hit a roadblock.

- SUBASHINI VIJAYAKUMAR

Official data show that only 16,707 applications have been received for 34,666 seats in 3,220 private high and higher secondary schools as of October 14, the date on which the list of eligible applicants was originally scheduled to be published.

Meanwhile, 65,306 applications were received for 45,721 seats in private primary schools. In the previous academic year of 2024-25, the department received a total of 1.7 lakh applications under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act.

As a result of the shortfall and a recent Madras High Court order, sources said the department has extended the deadline to complete the RTE admission process from October 17 to October 31.