If replies given by many of the 128 CBSE schools (of a total 390 institutions) in Tamil Nadu to queries raised by MDMK youth wing secretary Eswaran under the Right to Information (RTE) Act are to be believed, not a single parent belonging to weaker sections had approached them for admitting their wards under the RTEAct.
Many schools said they did not receive applications and hence could not admit poor students to fill seats under the 25 per cent quota reserved for weaker sections under the RTE Act. Some schools said they had admitted students under the quota, while other institutions responded saying they were waiting for income and community certificates to ensure the eligibility of candidates.
Questioning such a stance, Eswaran said, “As many as 2,826 applications for admission were submitted to just nine Kendriya Vidyalayas in the State but 119 private schools have claimed that cumulatively they received only 2,958 applications.” When contacted, a principal of a reputed CBSE school in Kovai said usually all schools send admission reports to the CBSE Regional Office in Chennai. “I can tell you that there is great demand for seats,” she said.