CHENNAI: Even as the Tamil Nadu government continues to fight for the release of central funds under the Samagra Shiksha (SS) scheme withheld last year, there is no clarity regarding admissions under Right to Education (RTE) Act this year in TN, funds for which are covered by the said scheme.
Although the state government had earlier assured that it would bankroll the scheme entirely from its own resources until the centre releases funds, the silence on admissions under the RTE Act for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year, commencing in less than two weeks, has raised doubts.
The notification for admissions to Class 1 under the RTE Act for 25% of the seats, which all private state board schools are mandated to reserve for children from economically weaker sections, is usually issued by the government in mid-April.
Following this, applications can be filed on the state government’s online portal, with the admission processes by the respective schools coming to a close by May. However, this year, the government has neither issued the notification nor expressed clearly if admissions will even happen. Every year, around 85,000 seats in private schools are filled under this Act.
Last year, the department had received 1,74,756 applications for 84,765 seats in private schools, almost all of which were filled.
Lack of clarity from govt on RTE making parents anxious
The government pays the private schools roughly `600 crore per year from the SS funds to compensate for the fees for the admitted children until they complete Class 8. S Ramkumar, a parent from Tiruchy, said, “I want to enrol my daughter in Class 1 under RTE, but the government has not said anything.
If they are not going to issue the notification, they should at least let us know so that we can make a decision on what to do next.” His concerns are being echoed by many other parents who expect clear communication from the Tamil Nadu government.
This lack of clarity is not only affecting new admissions, but also adding stress to students already enrolled in schools under the RTE Act. Meanwhile, private schools alleged that the state is yet to reimburse them on fees for the academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25 despite repeated requests. “Now, there is no clear information if admissions will happen this year.
Both private schools and parents are anxious due to the delay,” said a representative of an association of private schools, requesting not to be named.Officials from the school education department said that funds for RTE reimbursement are usually delayed and often released two years after the admissions take place, due to delay in processing of documents and verifying of utility certificates by the union ministry of education.
“The RTE Act is a statutory provision and the centre must contribute 60% of the costs of all the components under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. We are following up and will issue the admission notification once we receive the funds,” said a school education department official.
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam, in a statement on Wednesday, urged the state government to intervene and ensure that admissions under the RTE Act are not disrupted.