2,808 schools fined for failing to declare seats under RTE Act

All Haryana Private School Sangh, an association of private schools affiliated with the Board of School Education Haryana, has objected to the penalty notices served by the Directorate of Elementary Education for failing to declare 25 per cent entry-level seats for children from economically weaker sections (EWS) on the designated online portal under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

The association has urged the authorities to review the decision, arguing that the portal was introduced for the first time and most schools had neither received training nor understood the process for operating it and uploading the required information.

“A penalty ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs one lakh has been imposed on 2,808 private schools across various districts. As per the penalty notice, 1,680 schools did not declare the mandatory seats, while submissions from 1,128 schools were rejected due to incomplete or missing documents,” said Ravinder Nandal, President of the Haryana Private School Sangh.

Nandal said the admissions pertain to the current academic session 2025–26. “All schools attempted to upload information on the portal, but due to technical issues or the lack of training, many were unable to complete all steps within the stipulated time. The portal was later closed. 1,128 schools had successfully completed the process but a fine has also been imposed upon them, citing the reason for incomplete or missing documents, which is not justified,” he added.

The president said the association recently met senior officials of the School Education Department and requested a review of the penalty orders. He added that they had also assured the authorities concerned that the schools were willing to provide the required information offline regarding the allocation of 25 per cent EWS seats under the RTE Act.

Recently, the Directorate of Elementary Education had directed several private schools to deposit a proposed penalty for failing to declare 25 per cent of entry-level class seats reserved for children from weaker and disadvantaged sections, as mandated under the RTE Act, 2009.

An official from the Education Department on the condition of anonymity said all recognised private schools were required to earmark at least 25 per cent seats in entry-level classes for children belonging to weaker and disadvantaged groups and provide them free and compulsory education until the completion of schooling. Schools were instructed to declare these reserved seats on the directorate’s designated online portal, he added. “However, despite repeated opportunities, many schools did not upload or declare the required 25 per cent RTE seats. This failure amounts to a violation of government directions and the provisions of the RTE Act, hence the fine has been imposed. The schools have been instructed to deposit the proposed penalty. After which, they have to submit the payment receipt to the directorate in the prescribed format,” he added.

The official further maintained that once the payment confirmation is received, the portal of the schools concerned would be reopened to allow them to complete the mandatory RTE seat declaration.