Parents anxious as RTE admissions yet to begin in Tamil Nadu
COIMBATORE: Many parents across Tamil Nadu are awaiting the School Education Department's notification on Right to Education (RTE) admissions in private schools, for the 2025-26 academic year. Parents said that the admission process through the single-window portal usually commences in April and the notification is released in March.
A parent, P Devaraj from Thondamuthur in Coimbatore, told TNIE that currently, admissions have started at private and government schools since March, for the next academic year. He said that he has been waiting to admit his four-year-old son to the kindergarten section in a private school under the RTE Act. 'As the government is delaying the release of RTE notification for admissions, I am confused if I should admit my son to a government school instead,' he said. Many other parents share Devaraj's plight.
V Eswaran, Founder of Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, told TNIE that under the RTE Act, over one lakh students from economically weaker backgrounds get admitted to 25% of seats in the lower classes at private schools in the state. 'As the government has not released the notification, people are left in the lurch,' he said.
'Last year, parents submitted admission applications from April 22, and educational officers scrutinised them in May. Eligible students were admitted on June 3. Now, even though the School Education Minister announced that schools would reopen on June 2, ground work for RTE admissions is yet to commence. This delay will affect admissions,' he said.
He pointed out that the central and state governments together cover their education fees and suspects that the state government plans to drop RTE admissions, citing the central government's failure to release grants. Eswaran warned that if the state government does not release the notification in five days, they would hold a protest on May 8.
KR Nandakumar, general secretary, TN Nursery, Matriculation and CBSE Schools Association, told TNIE that several parents have been enquiring about RTE admissions since April. 'Even when we enquired with the Directorate of Matriculation Schools (DMS), officials did not give a reason for delay,' he said.
A top official from DMS told TNIE that RTE admission notification would be released in five days.
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