CHENNAI: Children seeking admission in private schools across the state under the Right to Education (RTE) Act can apply online (rte.tnschools.gov.in) from April 20 to May 18.
According to the guidelines issued by the school education department, the admission process will begin on April 2 and conclude on May 29. Under the RTE Act, 25% of seats in entry-level classes (LKG or Class I) in all unaided, non-minority private schools are reserved for students from economically disadvantaged sections. Around 85,000 students are admitted to private schools under this quota every year.
The department said that details of 25% of seats, based on enrolment data from the Education Management Information System (EMIS), will be shared with schools on April 6. Schools must display the number of available seats for public view from April 7. The information will also be published online (tnemis.tnschools.gov.in) on April 15.
Students residing within a km of the school are eligible to apply. Children born between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022, are eligible for LKG, while those born between August 1, 2019, and July 31, 2020, can apply for Class I. If the number of applications exceeds the available seats in a school, a lottery system will be used to select students on May 22.
Last year, the department delayed RTE admissions until October due to the non-release of Samagra Shiksha funds by the union government. As a result, only children already admitted in entry-level classes were regularised under the RTE quota after the funds were released.