Mira-Bhayandar: The deadline for securing a place in the first round of admission process under the Right to Education Act (RTE) has once again been extended till July 23 by the education department.
The earlier cut-off date for admission in the first round was July 9.
According to officials in the education department of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), as many as 243 students have been shortlisted for admissions under the RTE Act for the current academic session (2021-22) in the online process. However, even after a month only 75 out of the 243 applicants/parents have approached the allotted schools in the twin-city to confirm the admissions.
Owing to the poor response, the state education department had earlier stipulated July 9 as the deadline to approach the respective schools and confirm the admission, which has now been extended by two weeks.
Parents now have the option to complete the admission formalities by July 23, or they could lose the opportunity of getting free education for their children.
It has come to light that many parents have not been able to enroll the children by reaching the allotted schools within the given time due to the COVID situation.
Under the RTE Act, it is binding on unaided and non-minority schools to reserve 25 percent seats for students from economically and socially weaker sections who are given free education from entry-level to standard eighth.
The schools are later reimbursed with annual education fees per admission by the state government.
More than 1,700 seats in around 90 private schools in the twin-city have been identified for admissions under the RTE Act. However thanks to a lackluster publicity campaign, coupled by lack of coordination, the ambitious guaranteed admission scheme receives a skeletal turn-out every year.
Moreover, there is no proper mechanism to keep a tab on the private educational institutions.
