Start CAP for seats under RTE Act: NGOs

The parents discussed the common difficulties they faced while seeking admissions for their wards under RTE.

“My nephew,who is a daily wage labourer,had visited a nearby private school seeking admission for his son. The school denied admission under RTE and asked him to pay the regular fees. When he approached another school they asked him to produce an address proof. As we failed to procure that on time,the child did not get admission,” said Shobha Kamble,a participant.

A common sentiment among parents was the RTE Act should be implemented in letter and spirit.

“My daughter was denied admission as the school administration wanted us to pay their exorbitant fees. We want our children to get a fair chance at receiving education. Only effective implementation of the Act can help poor people like us,” said Surekha Dixit,a parent.

Dhananjay Pardeshi,Deputy Education Officer of PMC,said the total number of pre-primary and Class I seats under 25 per cent quota are 7,283.

“So far,4,230 seats have been filled while 3,053 are still vacant. We have issued notices to six-seven schools failing to implement the RTE Act effectively,” he added.

He said for grievance redressal as many as12 officers have been appointed in each ward.