Maharashtra RTE admission deadline extended after low confirmation rate

This year, a total of 3,05,152 applications were received for 1,09,087 seats in 8,863 schools, including 5,157 seats in Mumbai. From these, 1,01,967 students were selected through a lottery system who were given until February 28 to confirm admissions on the allotted seats.

Due to the low confirmation rate and requests from parents, the state decided to extend the deadline. Last week, parents were urged to check the status of their applications on the RTE admissions portal, as officials noted that some parents might not have received SMS alerts about their allotments.

In addition, the Directorate of Primary Education, which oversees RTE admissions, issued a notification to clarify any doubts about the required proof of residence, one of the documents that is needed to be submitted for RTE admissions. Noting that confusion in required documents is one of the reasons for delayed admission confirmations, an official said, “This clarifying notification will resolve any doubt there may be regarding proof of residence.”

The notification initially states that if the parents of the children have their own residential arrangement in the area where the school is being selected, any one of the following proofs will be accepted as proof of residence: ration card, driving license, electricity bill, telephone bill, property tax bill, house rent, voter identity card, passport, Aadhaar card and nationalized bank passbook.

“However, even if the parents do not have their own house in the selected area, then any one from the same list of documents on the place where they live can be accepted as proof of residence. Also, if the verification officer needs further clarification in this regard, he should visit the place where the parents are residing and verify it,” states the notification.