CHENNAI: In a significant ruling, the Madras High Court has held that the Right to Education (RTE) Act does not restrict admission of children in private self-financing schools under the 25% quota only to the entry level, but eligible children aged 6 to 14 can be admitted into any age-appropriate class under the Act.
The ruling was given by Justice Krishnan Ramasamy while disposing of a petition filed by P Murugan of Ayanavaram seeking orders to the School Education department authorities and a private school in Ayanavaram, Chennai, to admit his son under the RTE Act quota from UKG.
The judge directed the district education officer and the school management to admit the petitioner’s son immediately under the RTE Act quota.
The petitioner stated that the Bethel Matric and Higher Secondary School, Ayanavaram, denied admission to his younger son under the RTE quota in 2025 citing unavailability of local residential address proof despite submitting the relevant certificates. Subsequently, he approached the HC which directed the authorities and the school to consider the application, yet it was rejected on June 9, 2026.
He filed another petition challenging the rejection order and praying for admitting the student under the 25% quota from UKG, since he has already been admitted in the same school.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the authorities refused to accept the residential address proof based on which the petitioner’s elder son was already admitted in the very same school under the quota.
However, the counsel for the state contended that the boy cannot be admitted to UKG now since the RTE Act provides for admission only at the entry level.
Citing sections including 3 (1) and 3 (2) and 4 of the RTE Act, the judge said, "The reading of the provisions clarifies that a child can be admitted at any age, in which case they are entitled to pursue their studies in an appropriate class, to her/his age. This demonstrates that there is no legal embargo restricting a child to enter only at the initial entry-level grade."
