Pune: While a fortnight has passed since the second lottery for admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act has been released, the data presented on the official RTE admission website of the State Education Department shows that hardly 12,000 students in Pune have taken admissions in schools allotted to them till date.

The activists have pointed out that the delay in the process, changes on the administrative level, as well as, the lack of transparency on the part of schools has created problems for parents leading to lower admissions under RTE Act this time. The second lottery was released on June 15.

“There is a need to regulate the schools and ensure transparency from them in the admission process, especially in the rural areas,” said RTE activist Mukund Kirdat.

“Many schools try to charge at least Rs 5,000 to 10,000 from the parents, and most parents fall prey to this scam, due to lack of awareness. These schools also refuse to provide fee receipts after admissions,” Kirdat added.

The activists also mentioned that while these issues have been pointed out to the government several times, no action has ever been taken.

“RTE admissions have received a tremendous response from all over the State this year. The Education Department has received 2,45,488 applications for 1,16,808 vacancies in Maharashtra. However, due to the glitches in the admission process and lack of awareness, the rural areas have registered a very low number of admissions,” the activist said.
As per the RTE website, only 66,718 admissions have been taken to date Statewide. In Pune as well, only 12,093 children have taken admissions.

Kirdat further said, “Another issue that the Education Department needs to look into is the upper limit of income for the families in the open category. While those with annual income below Rs 1 lakh are considered for admissions under the RTE Act, these parameters have been set back in 2012-13. Considering the inflation and the rise in the cost of living, it is necessary that the government revises this criterion so that more children could benefit by the Act.”