Maharashtra: RTE Admission Draw Results Out After Month-Long Wait

A day after the Bombay High Court (HC) overturned contentious changes to the state’s Right to Education (RTE) rules, the Maharashtra education department released the results of the draw for allocating 25% seats reserved for students from socially and economically disadvantaged groups under RTE Act.

Of 1.05 lakh seats available at 9,217 schools across the state at entry level – class 1 and pre-school – 93,009 seats were allotted to the aspiring parents, even though the number of applicants is more than 2.4 lakh. In Mumbai, a total of 4,735 spots were allocated against the total intake of 6,247 across 338 schools.

The government had withheld the results of the draw in anticipation of the impending court order for over a month. The applicant parents will be informed about seat allocation from Monday through text messages and they will have until the end of the month to confirm the admission of their children.

HC on Friday had quashed a government notification of February 9 wherein private unaided schools – with a government-run school within 1km radius – were exempted from admitting children under RTE Act quota admissions.

While quashing the notification, the high court said it was “ultra vires the RTE Act 2009 and Article 21-A of the Constitution of India and, accordingly, the impugned proviso is declared to be void”. Article 21-A declares that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years.

The HC was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the notification contending that the change in rules violates the constitutional right to education for children aged six to 14. They also contend the state’s decision is contrary to the RTE Act’s objective of providing an inclusive education, while diluting the private schools’ responsibility of educating marginalised students.