Maharashtra RTE admissions pending even as new academic sessions set to begin soon

Although the schools in Maharashtra are set to begin a new term, the students from the Economically Weaker Sections have not been given any kind of information as the admissions under the Right to Education Act has been stayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in the state. 

Unaided,  non-minority schools in the state are required to reserve 25 percent entry-level seats for students from the Economically and Socially weaker sections. The BMC conducts centralized online admissions with 7,202 seats in 367 state and non-state board schools in the state.

Close to 5,371 aspirants from the 14,135 students who have applied under the Right to Education quota were allotted seats at the schools in the state. Close to one lakh students were assigned a school in the state. The admissions conducted based on the online lottery admissions have however been put on hold since. 

The delay in admissions has got the parents worried as most of the schools are on vacation now. Some parents also state that the schools which have been allotted will begin classes from June 15 but since the admission process has not been completed children will miss out on classes. 

The BMC education department officials have stated that the orders from the state government are awaited in order to complete the admissions at the school level. It is expected that the government will announce the schedule for admissions soon. 

On the other hand, opinions have been floating that the government should have planned ahead as the lockdown is expected to continue until the school reopening. The government should have to create a mechanism to complete the paperwork during the lockdown so that the students will be able to join the schools for the new academic year. 

In Mumbai, among the total seats allotted 4,053 students have been placed in state board schools while 1,318 students have been allotted seats in schools affiliated to other boards.

Also Read: Standard Operating Procedure issued by Odisha for admission to 2020-21 academic session