Explainer: What is the status of RTE admissions in Haryana?

Over 21,750 children have been allotted seats in recognised private schools across Haryana under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. The Directorate of Elementary Education has instructed schools to complete admissions within 10 days, with the deadline set for May 9. The directorate has also issued a set of instructions for private schools, applicants and officials of the Education Department to ensure that the admission process is conducted smoothly.How many applicants had sought admission under the RTE?Under the RTE, 25 per cent seats in recognised private schools of the state are reserved in the first or entry-level classes for children belonging to economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups of society. Over 60,400 seats were offered by the schools against which over 31,000 applications were received. After verification, 21,752 children were allotted to private recognised schools in the state. Out of the total, as many as 10,880 seats were allotted in nursery, over 1,280 in LKG, over 1,900 in UKG and 7,680 in Class I.What directions have been issued to the private school operators?The directorate has instructed private schools to ensure that admissions of students through RTE are completed as per procedure. Schools must not delay the admission process and complete the admission of eligible students ensuring no eligible child allotted under RTE is denied admission without valid reasons. School-level committees will verify the documents and validate if they meet the requirements, including that the applicant must be a domicile of Haryana and possess valid proof of residence. The address of the applicant must fall within the 0-1 km or 1-3 km of the school as per allotment under the neighbourhood criteria.What is the the issue related to neighbourhood criteria under RTE?Recently, the directorate had issued a clarification regarding the neighbourhood criteria under the RTE, in which it stated that it was mandatory for a private school to provide admission to eligible children residing within 0 to 1 km distance of it within the 25 per cent reserved seats in Class I and pre and primary classes. According to the directorate, if any school ‘voluntarily’ admits eligible children living within a radius of 1 to 3 km, then the directorate would ensure reimbursement as per the rules. Earlier, private school operators had flagged a lack of clarity in the SOP regarding the neighbourhood criteria under RTE admissions and threatened to stop admissions if the issue was not resolved.What are the other instructions issued by the directorate?As per the directorate, the admission will be provisional and confirmed only after successful document verification. Schools have been told that if an admission is rejected, the school must clearly specify the reason on the department’s portal. All schools must ensure that all admissions, whether accepted or rejected, are reported on the portal. Details of all rejected cases will be submitted to the Block-Level Monitoring Committee for review. The committee will then resolve grievances as per the applicable rules. If a grievance is not resolved within five days, it will be escalated to the First Appellate Committee and then to a final appellate authority.What has the private school body said on the matter?As per the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), issues related to pending dues and neighbourhood criteria have been a source of conflict between the parents and the school. The NISA demands a direct benefit transfer (DBT) so that students can take admission in the schools of their choice. The alliance holds that along with the school fee, the government should also provide students with vouchers for uniforms and books so that they don’t face any inconvenience. NISA has also sought early completion of the admission process under RTE so that, along with other children, students getting admissions under RTE can begin the session from April.

Explainer: What is the status of RTE admissions in Haryana?

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Explainer: What is the status of RTE admissions in Haryana?

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Unlock Premium Insights in This Article