Maharashtra RTE admissions: For nearly 9 lakh seats, less than 2% applications received so far

The deadline to submit applications is April 30, and only over 17,000 applications have been submitted as of Friday (April 19) afternoon. This is less than 2 per cent of the total 8,86,377 seats available across the state.

If the rate at which applications are coming in this year remains the same, the total number of applications received by April 30 might only reach 75,000. In 2023, there were a total of 3.65 lakh applications for 1.01 lakh seats in private schools across the state, albeit in a longer time-frame.

“If parents wanted admissions in government schools where direct admission is already available for free, why would they go to an internet cafe and pay Rs 200 to fill the RTE form for the same thing? With the new amendments, parents feel that they have been cheated by the government,” said Mukund Kirdat, spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party Parents Union.

Not only this, confusion has emerged over the admission process as several zilla parishad and municipal corporation schools only run up to the fourth or seventh standard. Kirdat said, “According to the Right to Education Act, the government is expected to provide education up to Class VIII from these reserved seats. So the question is whether the government will admit these children after 4th or 7th standard? No explanation has come from the government on this matter so far.”

When asked whether students who are taking admission in a government school that runs only up to 4th or 7th standard can choose private schools in the vicinity instead, Education Commissioner Suraj Mandhare said, “Both options are open.”

Meanwhile, primary education director Sharad Gosavi remained unavailable for comment.