The School Education Department has extended the third phase of admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act till October 10 through their online portal.
The third phase of admissions commenced on September 11 and went on till September 25. Parents were given an opportunity to apply for admission online for 41,832 seats which were vacant. For the first time, this academic year, the department commenced admissions for RTE online even as schools handed out applications on their campuses.
An official from the education department said that admissions could be made under the RTE Act in schools for around six months after the commencement of the academic year. “In the third phase, we have received only around 10,000 applications so far, which is why we decided to extend the dates. After we receive the applications, they will be scrutinised and then sent to the Chief Educational Officers, who will pass it on to schools in their area,” he said.
In the first two phases, nearly 82,909 seats were filled.
While a majority of the applications were received during the first phase, the education department decided to phase out and extend the application deadlines over the next six months through the online facility.
Ensuring transparency
A. Karuppasamy, Director of Matriculation schools, said that by taking the process online this year, they had ensured that parents had no complaints with regard to transparency. “Schools where the number of RTE applications received was higher than the number of seats available were asked to admit students after a draw of lots,” he said.
While persons who wish to apply for seats under the RTE can log on to www.dge.tn.gov.in , facilities have also been made at the offices of the District Educational Officers (DEOs), CEOs or e-seva centres to fill out the online form and apply.