RTE admissions underway, private schools say no clarity in SOPs

The admission process under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act is underway in Haryana.

Of nearly 9,200 private schools, 7,505 recognised private schools in the state have offered 60,479 seats at the entry-level classes. Of total, while 23,988 seats were offered in nursery, as many as 1,324 in LKG, over 2,320 in UKG, and 32,839 in Class I.

People who want admission for their children against the offered seats in the recognised private schools under the RTE can submit applications by April 16.

The RTE provides admission to students belonging to economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in private recognised schools in the state. Under the RTE, 25 per cent of seats are reserved in the first or entry-level classes for these children, to ensure equitable access to quality education for all children.

The documents will be verified from April 22 to 26, and then the computerised lottery will be conducted and school allotment will be done via randomisation, approved by the result validation committee.

However, amid the ongoing process, the private school operators have flagged lack of clarity in SOP regarding the neighbourhood criteria under the RTE admissions, and have threatened to stop the admissions if the issue is not resolved. They also demand reimbursement of previous years before giving next admissions.

The neighbourhood criteria (schools within neighbourhood radius) is one of the major conditions set in the RTE to provide admissions in the private schools.

Prashant Munjal, zonal president, Haryana Progressive Schools’ Conference, said as per the Haryana RTE Rules, the neighbourhood criteria clearly prioritises admissions within a 0-1 km radius. The rules further reiterates that the neighbourhood schools must first accommodate eligible children within the nearest radius before extending consideration to outer limits. A notice regarding RTE admissions was issued recently by the Directorate of Elementary Education in which the current notice/portal framework reflected a combined selection of 0-1 km and 1-3 km radius simultaneously, which appeared to dilute the statutory priority granted to the 0-1 km category.

“As per the notice, the schools are to be selected within ‘0-1 km and 1-3 km radius, and in the same notice, the eligibility for admission is also shown as “0-3 km neighbourhood criteria,” without clearly preserving the mandatory preference hierarchy. Even last year, we faced a similar situation and the association had raised the issue with the officials concerned. A number of schools had rejected the admissions on the same ground. We were assured that the issue will be resolved this time, but it was not done. The criteria of distance create confusion, and such things lead to disputes between the schools and the applicants. The department must resolve the issue,” Munjal said.

Munjal said, “The schools have no objection in giving admissions to the children but the department must issue clear SOPs and also clear the dues of previous years. The HPSC had requested the officials concerned to examine the provisions and issue appropriate directions, no such directions have been issued so far. We have sought a meeting with the director to raise the issue. If the issues are not resolved and the dues not cleared, the private schools will be forced to stop giving admissions.”

Sourabh Kapoor, spokesman of the HPSC, said in the current situation, some selected schools would see the rush as every parent wanted to get admission in a big school, while the neighbourhood schools wouldn’t get the applications and the seats would remain vacant there.

The HPSC said the priority of 0-1 km neighbourhood be strictly enforced as per the RTE Rules. Only in cases of non-availability of seats within 0-1 km, allocation might be extended to 1-3 km that too after the school sought approval of the Director. The department must issue clarification to avoid ambiguity and ensure compliance with statutory provisions.

As per Subhash Chander, state president of the HPSC, “The RTE does not restrict admissions to 0-1 km, but it mandatorily prioritises 0-1 km before extending consideration to 1-3 km. Any process that treats 0-1 km and 1-3 km at par defeats the statutory priority mandated under the Haryana RTE Rules. The law creates a hierarchy, not a combined pool. The criteria of 0-1 km must be exhausted before 1-3 km is considered. The current admission framework merges 0-1 km and 1-3 km into a single pool, which is contrary to the Haryana RTE Rules. The directorate must issue appropriate directions.”