RAIPUR: The education landscape in Chhattisgarh has reached a flashpoint as the Chhattisgarh Private School Management Association has declared an indefinite “Non-Cooperation Movement”, vowing to block all admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act until their “genuine demands” are addressed.
The escalation follows a decade of financial friction, culminating in a boycott of government directives. Despite the state recently announcing the selection of 14,403 children for RTE admission through an online lottery, the Association has dug in its heels, refusing to enrol a single student until the government addresses a 13-year stagnation in reimbursement rates.
At the heart of the crisis is a reimbursement structure that has not been revised since 2011. Association leaders argue that while inflation, staff salaries and infrastructure costs have risen sharply, the government’s compensation has remained unchanged.
"We are being asked to provide present day education on 2011 budgets," stated Association President Rajeev Gupta. "The insensitivity toward the actual cost of educating underprivileged students is no longer sustainable,” he added.
The movement is also a direct response to what the Association calls “judicial negligence”.
A September 2025 order from the Bilaspur High Court had mandated the Education Department to resolve the fee dispute within six months.
With that deadline having lapsed and no action taken, private educators have shifted from dialogue to defiance.
The Association has demanded that the government make public the per-student expenditure in government-run schools to ensure a fair calculation.
Their proposed “reality-based” fee structure includes ₹18,000 for primary level, ₹22,000 for middle and ₹25,000 for high and higher secondary.
“Barring only three states, all others have far better reimbursement rates than Chhattisgarh,” the Association affirmed.
The Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) on Wednesday issued a directive to all District Education Officers (DEOs), reportedly aimed at breaking the ongoing “Non-Cooperation Movement”.
DEOs have been asked to compile a list of private schools that have commenced the RTE admission process for the 2026–27 session.
The government has indicated that reimbursement of pending fees will be initiated only for schools that comply with the new admission orders.
“This is an attempt to crush our campaign for a justified demand for the payment of long-overdue RTE fee reimbursement rates,” Gupta stated.
As the deadlock continues, the fate of over 14,000 underprivileged children remains uncertain, caught between a government demanding compliance and private educators seeking financial sustainability.