Haryana Edu Dept issues admission schedule under RTE Act

While the Directorate of Elementary Education has asked private schools to declare seats under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act by March 17, school managements have expressed unhappiness over the delay in releasing their pending dues.

The RTE Act provides admission to students belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) and disadvantaged groups in private recognised schools. Under the Act, 25 per cent seats are reserved in the first or entry-level classes for children.

The directorate has issued a tentative schedule for verification of school seat availability, application process, result declaration and final admissions for the academic year 2026-27.

In the notice issued, the department stated that in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act, the Government was committed to ensuring equitable access to quality education for all children, especially those from the EWS and disadvantaged groups.

The schools have been told to declare seats on the portal from March 11 to 17, the District Elementary Education Officers will verify the recognition and minority documents uploaded by the private schools from March 18 to 24 and the verification of the seats and documents of the verified schools will be done at the branch level from March 25 to 30.

The application for admissions will be invited from March 31 to April 7 and the allocation of schools will be done on April 9. The admissions will be completed from April 10 to 23, while the waiting list admissions will be completed from April 30 to May 4.

Even last year, students had to wait till July to get the admission process completed due to the delay on part of the department in obtaining data related to seats and on part of private schools in declaring the seats, which led to a series of objections and repeated extension of deadlines.

Prashant Munjal, zonal president of the Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference, said, “The directorate has issued a schedule for the RTE admissions for the next academic session but the schools are yet to get the dues of previous seasons. The Education Department, despite repeated meetings, hasn’t been able to resolve the issues related to the pending dues. If charges are not cleared at the earliest, private schools will be forced to stop giving admissions.”

Saurabh Kapoor, spokesman of the HPSC, said, “The Education Department is yet to clear the reimbursement of the last three years and it has been a cause of resentment. If the government is serious about providing quality education to the children belonging to the EWS, it should clear the dues. Else, schools will move to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.”

Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the National Independent Schools Alliance, said, “Private schools are not happy with the functioning of the Education Department. Institutes are waiting for years to get their dues cleared. The department already has all data regarding schools, yet they are forced to provide different information and raise claims, which are rejected over petty issues. The state government and the Education Department should resolve the issues to ensure a smooth implementation of the RTE Act.”