Mumbai: Over 11,732 applications received against 6,463 vacant seats under RTE

Over 11,732 online applications have been submitted under the Right to Education (RTE) in Mumbai till now for the academic year 2021-2022. The state government has extended the submission deadline to March 30 to award more time to parents to apply for free education for their children till Class 8 in private unaided schools.

Parents need to fill the online registration form and submit documents via the online portal https://student.maharashtra.gov.in/adm_portal/Users/rteindex. Damodar Shirkhe, a parent said, "I want both my children to study in a private unaided school. RTE is the only way, because otherwise I cannot afford the fees of private schools."

This year, there are 6,463 vacant seats in 352 schools registered for RTE admissions in Mumbai. There are 96,801 vacant seats in 9,431 schools in a total of 36 districts of Maharashtra. Mahesh Palkar, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) education officer said, "We have already received over 11,732 applications for a vacancy of 6,463 seats under RTE in Mumbai. We will conduct the lottery round once the application process is completed."

Ruksana Ahmed, a parent said, "If the number of applications is almost twice the number of available vacant seats, then BMC and state government should increase the number of seats under RTE in private unaided schools." Under RTE, students can avail free and compulsory education till Class 8 in private unaided schools. Students belonging to a economically weak background can opt for admissions, as 25 per cent seats in private unaided schools are reserved for them under RTE.