Maharashtra: Significant decrease in admissions under Right to Education due to exclusion of private schools

In a significant change from previous years, the Right to Education (RTE) admissions have seen a sharp decrease in the number of applications, with only 33,000 students applying as of Thursday. This marks a drastic fall from the more than 82,000 applications recorded last academic year.

Officials attribute this decline primarily to the exclusion of private schools from the RTE admission process this year. In contrast to past years, the current admissions only include government schools and private Marathi medium-aided schools. The exclusion has noticeably impacted the overall number of applications.

“The admissions figures show that education is a throw-away stream. It is clear in whose interest this change was made,” expressed Mukund Kirdat from the AAP Parents Union, criticizing the shift in policy.

Prospective applicants have until April 30 to submit their applications, although officials indicate that the deadline might be extended if the current trend of low application numbers continues.

The RTE policy mandates that 25% of seats in educational institutions are reserved for admissions under this scheme, intended to make education accessible to all sections of society. However, this year’s exclusion of private schools seems to have narrowed the options for many, affecting overall enrollment figures.