Free admissions in private schools for the academic year 2023-24.
Economically weaker sections can now get their child a free seat for free education till 8th Standard
Nagpur – We would not be surprised if somebody told me that they don’t know what RTE 25% Reservation is. We get numerous calls each day where parents ask us about RTE and how to avail the benefits. Each day we spend roughly 20 minutes on each call to explain to the parents about the procedure and educate them with the terms and conditions to be able to avail the benefit of free education. The time invested on each call varies if the Parent is uneducated, the task becomes even more hectic in explaining things in their own jargon.
For the ones who would like to know what RTE 25% is and how it works, we have mentioned the basic requirement and information down below. However, if any parent has any specific enquiry or question or a query that we have not listed here then we encourage those parents to find out more from the website or from any other reliable and learned source or else they can even send us a what’s app message on 9 37 37 33 33 7 stating their query or type of information they are seeking.
RTE 25% reservations are for the parents from the weaker economical background seeking admissions in private school but find themselves unable to bear a hefty academic fee each year. To benefit the child from a weaker economic background and to avail education, which is every child’s right, The Government started to provide free seats in most of the RTE registered Private schools.
1: Under RTE (in Maharashtra) presently child falling in the age group of 3-6 years stands a chance to winning a free seat/ admission in a Private school.
2: A 3-year-old will get admission in Nursery, while a 4 year will get admission in Junior KG and from there a six-year-old will get admission for 1st standard. It is important to mention here that not all schools provide seats from nursery till 1st standard. There are schools that provide seats from Nursery till 8th standard, while some schools might give admission from Junior KG, and most others give admissions from 1st till 8th standard.
3: Parents have to apply online and submit their application online on RTE 25% portal. There are no charges to be paid to apply for these seats neither there is a fee charged by the Government to the parents to apply for the reserved seats. It’s absolutely free.
4: The results /allocation of seats is done by computerized draw, that’s the reason it’s also called RTE lottery. Once the draw is declared the parents can then see the status of their application on the portal by mentioning their application number. If selected in the draw the parents then come to know which school has been allotted to the child and accordingly the parent has to be present at the URC 1/2 or BRC verification committee to get their original documents verified for authenticity.
Documents that get verified for authenticity are those that the parent had mentioned in the application, such as Aadhar card or electricity bill for address proof, caste certificate if availing caste benefit, Date of birth certificate of the child (these being basic documents) requirement of documents may change based on various other aspects. Such as a widow, a divorcee, or a divorce litigant (single mother quota) might have to produce some additional documents in original, if such a selection is made in the online application form). People falling in the General /Open category need to furnish an income certificate. RTE 25% allows to furnish substitute documents in some cases where electricity bill can be substituted with a bank pass book of a nationalized bank. In a nutshell these are the basic requirements of the documentation purpose. Due care should be taken that all the documents should be updated before the date of filling the online form. Rent agreements need to be registered if staying in a rented accommodation. Normal rent agreement made on a stamp paper is not valid. Gas consumer pass book and Ration card are no longer considered substitutes for address proof.
There can be various technical if’s and but’s related to the documents you produce. Due diligence is advised to parents to ensure that they seek expert advice if needed, when in doubts while filling their online applications, because one mistake might mean that the form might not get selected or in worst case the student might get selected in the draw but some documentary discrepancy if detected later on might cancel/reject the admission all together. Bottom line is the documents that are being produced as per the declaration made in the online application need to be impeccable and genuine.
4: Applications that have the address mentioned to be within a three km radius of the chosen school is also another criterion, however this criterion has some exceptions too. The less the distance of the house address mentioned in the application from the school, the better the chances are for being selected in the RTE 25% lottery.
5: Selection in the RTE 25% is a once in a lifetime offer. If by any chance the admission gets rejected due to any reason or the parent chooses not to claim the free seat offered for a particular seat as per the lottery, such a parent will not be able to apply for RTE 25% in the next academic year online lottery.
Presently the process of school registrations is in full swing for Maharashtra. Once all the schools have registered themselves the online application portal will be available for parents to fill their applications online. The school registration process is very crucial because only after registrations are done , it can be ascertained how many seats and from which city and for which school are there for the parents aspiring to get free seats for their child. This school registration process will end on 3rd of February 2023. Post which online application portal will give the parents the actual numbers of seats available for a particular school.
Due care has been taken to mention the basic details that have to be considered if opting to apply for the RTE 25% free admission. However, there is a strong possibility that some readers might have some queries that we have not mentioned here, for which we encourage them to either get in touch with us or someone one learned enough to guide them and answer their queries correctly.
We appeal to the parents to put forward your application only in the case where you really find it difficult to afford your child’s education. If you are economically strong and can afford to pay for the school fee of your child, as a moral obligation towards the deprived, refrain from claiming such seats that are meant for the less privileged and weaker section of the society. Don’t claim what is rightfully not yours.
– Shweta S.