Kottupalli Anand, a resident of Reddypalem in Guntur district, was overjoyed when he received a message from the School Education Department stating that his five-and-a-half-year-old daughter Dhianshi had been selected for admission in a corporate school for free education under Section 12(1)(C) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The provision mandates private unaided schools to reserve 25% of entry-level seats for children from economically weaker sections, with the government covering the cost.
However, Mr. Anand鈥檚 happiness was short-lived. The school management refused to admit his daughter citing non-payment of fee reimbursements by the government. The school authorities claimed they were unable to sustain RTE admissions without timely support from the State.
Parents forced to pay
A distressed Anand approached the Mandal Education Officer (MEO) for help and following his intervention, the school reluctantly agreed to admit Dhianshi, but only on the condition that Mr. Anand pay 鈧15,000 for books and uniform, and an additional 鈧10,000 for other activities.
Citing his modest background, Mr. Anand expressed his anguish over being forced to pay out of pocket for what is meant to be a free and compulsory education under the law. 鈥淲e were so happy when we got the message. Now we are left with anxiety and pressure to arrange the money,鈥 he says, speaking to The Hindu.
What started as a moment of joy soon turned into frustration for many parents with school managements either denying admission or demanding payment of full or partial fees.
Baburao Mandala, a resident of Gollapudi in NTR district, is among the affected parents. His six-year-old daughter Varshita Vinanya was allotted a seat in a reputed private school in the first phase of selection of students for admissions under the RTE quota. But he, along with six other families, was turned away by the school management citing 鈥渙ngoing discussions with the government鈥 and that they would be informed about the decision later.
鈥淭he schools reopened on June 12 and since then we鈥檝e been running from pillar to post for our children鈥檚 admissions,鈥 laments Mr. Baburao informing that many parents are now withdrawing from the scheme and enrolling their children in more affordable institutions. 鈥淚 may have to do the same,鈥 he adds, disheartened.
Parents in a similar situation regret that they have been left out of the purview of the 鈥楾halli ki Vandanam鈥 scheme, a government initiative that provides financial aid to school-going children. 鈥淲e gave that up, assuming we wouldn鈥檛 need it since our daughter has been selected for free education in a corporate school. Now we鈥檙e stuck with no support,鈥 says Mr. Baburao.
Bone of contention
The stalemate over implementation of the initiative continues with the private school management associations insisting on proper implementation of the Act. They say they are not against Section 12 (1) (C) but want the government to implement Section 12 (2) of the Act as well by determining the per child expenditure (PCE) incurred by the State government and reimburse either the school fee or the PCE, whichever is lower. The bone of contention is the PCE finalised by the government, dismissed as 鈥渢oo little鈥 by the school managements.
Some of the school authorities have also raised the issues of irregularities in the admission process alleging cases of incorrect date of birth entries, misuse of caste, sibling and orphan categories and multiple applications. They also allege violation of the 鈥淣eighbourhood Rule鈥 under which children must first be allotted to private schools located within 1 km radius of their residence and only after all available seats in all schools within 1 km (including government) are filled, can children be allotted to schools located between 1 and 3 km distance.
Pointing out that payment of fee reimbursement is pending for last three years, the private school managements categorically say they will withhold all admissions till the government addresses the issues raised by them.
Officials react
Officials of the Samagra Shiksha, which is handling the admission process, meanwhile, say this academic year, the number of admissions under RTE may cross 20,000. 鈥淲e have given serious instructions to private school managements to comply with the admission process and have issued show cause notices to some of them. We have also directed the District Education Officers and Regional Joint Directors to complete final admission confirmations by June 29, 2025,鈥 maintains Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao.