close_game
close_game

Efforts to promote RTE school seats are half-hearted

Hindustan Times | By, Mumbai
Sep 30, 2019 12:47 AM IST

Around 39,000 seats, including 4,000 in Mumbai, set aside for students from financially distressed families, remain vacant

Earlier this month, alarmed by reports that schools in the state have not been able to fill nearly 50% of the quota seats under Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Maharashtra education minister announced a fourth round of seat allotments.

The number of students enrolling in RTE schools has witnessed a decline.(HT Photo)
The number of students enrolling in RTE schools has witnessed a decline.(HT Photo)

Around 39,000 seats, including 4,000 in Mumbai, set aside for students from financially distressed families, remain vacant. This newspaper has reported that 7,491 seats were available under the quota in 356 schools in Mumbai and suburbs. There were enough applicants – 11,000 – but for various reasons only 3,408 students confirmed their admissions by the deadline.

Data shared by the education department reveals that nearly 7,000 students were selected for admissions across the state in the latest round of seat allotments. Of these, 302 were from Mumbai city and suburbs. This number includes 250 students who were allotted seats into state board schools and 52 students who got schools affiliated with national education boards like CBSE and ICSE. The latest round of admissions, held last week, was a disappointment, with just 57 of the 302 selected students claiming their seats. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is in charge of primary school education in the city, said they called up parents who did not claim seats allotted to their children. The attempts to contact the parents apparently did not work: after four rounds of admissions, only 3,465 of the 7,491 RTE quota seats have been claimed.

The quota under the RTE law, where 25% of seats are reserved for poor students who pay no fee, was introduced with good intentions, but resistance from schools and a lacklustre attitude of education officials have ensured that the idea is yet to work to its full potential after nearly a decade. Activists said that many children did not get admissions under the previous rounds as schools rejected their applications despite the children fulfilling the norms. The education department has largely ignored the complaints and parents do not trust the admission process to work without any bias.

Education activists campaigning for the better implementation of the quota have blamed both the admission process and schools for the problem. While some schools have been openly hostile to the quota, others have tried other means, like not supporting the students with free stationery, to keep out quota students. When admissions under the quota were made in 2014-15, only 1,069 students were admitted, while there were more than 8,000 seats available. Number of admissions grew to 1,688 in 2015-16 and 2,506 in 2016-17 after Bombay HC ordered the BMC and schools to publicise the free seats aggressively.

Government efforts to promote the quota seats have been half-hearted, said activists. Earlier this year, the state education department announced a mobile app for admissions under the quota but response from parents has been poor. Most parents had not heard about the app. One parent from Govandi, who spoke to HT, said, “Had we known about the application, we would have taken someone’s help and registered from the phone.”

Sudhir Paranjape of Anudanit Shikshan Bachao Samiti, a group campaigning for better implementation of the RTE quota, put 70% of the blame on the government and the rest on schools. “It is not coincidental (the admission rate under the quota is low). People in the government run private schools. They want a free hand and are charging heavy fees. They are up in arms,” says Paranjape. “Basically they challenged the act in Supreme Court saying that under article 17, they have the fundamental right to establish businesses and make profits. They have declared their intentions.”

After criticism from activists, the government set up grievance redressal forums to look at complaints by parents. Paranjpe calls the idea a charade. “It [the forum] is worthless; nothing is being done and parents are going without help.” There are allegations that cases have been sidelined by the grievance cell. Education activists are now planning to move the courts.

Catch every big hit,...
See more
Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!

Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Get alert on your mobile and email as soon as the result is declared. For this, please provide information.
SHARE

Get Latest Exam Updates

+91
I accept the Terms & Conditions of this website and consent.

OTP Verification

We have sent OTP to .
Resend OTP

00:00

Your details are submitted successfully.

Product Terms and Conditions

  • These Terms and Conditions (“T&C”), as amended from time to time are the complete and exclusive statements of understanding between HT Media Limited (“HTML”) & the Users and shall enroll for availing the Services on (hereinafter referred to as the “BOARD RESULTS” https://www.livehindustan.com/career/results/ or https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/board-exams and “EDUCATION SERVICES” “https://www.livehindustan.com/career” or “https://www.hindustantimes.com/education”). All representation or other communications between HTML & the User amounts to acceptance of these terms & conditions.
  • Board Result (https://www.livehindustan.com/career/results/) or https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/board-exams is a website created by HTML for giving the students an easy access of their board results from various Boards being Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttarakhand. The results are inherited officially from the respective boards and being displayed on this website on an As Is basis and under no circumstances HTML be held responsible for any inaccuracy as regard these results.
  • EDUCATION SERVICES” “https://www.livehindustan.com/career/” or https://www.hindustantimes.com/education is a website created by HTML for giving the students easy access to entrance exams and college related information. The information is gathered from various websites. Under no circumstances HTML be held responsible for any inaccuracy as regard to this information.
  • Students of Class 10th and 12th can have quick and easy access to their results and other college and entrance exam related information using this website.
  • Students can get access through their phone, tablet, laptop or any other online service provider. These results can be accessed only in the territory of India.
  • Individual Registration: User shall create an account either for himself/herself or for the prospective student.
  • Any attempt by the user to use the results in any inappropriate cause is a violation of Criminal and Civil Laws and should such an attempt be made, HTML reserves its right to seek damages from any such User to the fullest extent as permitted by law.
  • HTML and/or its subsidiaries, affiliates, holding company or group companies, their offices, directors, employees and representatives shall not be liable to any person or entity for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential damages, including loss of profits, incurred by a User or any third party, whether in connection with the usage of board results https://www.livehindustan.com/career/results/ or https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/board-exams and education services (“https://www.livehindustan.com/career/” or “https://www.hindustantimes.com/education”), or for breach of any warranty in contract or in tort.
  • User agrees to indemnify HTML, its agents, employees, representatives, associates, affiliates, parent and subsidiary companies against any and all claim, losses, costs, damages, liability and expenses arising out of the User’s breach of any of the T&C or arising out of or in connection with their use of BOARD RESULTS https://www.livehindustan.com/career/results/ or https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/board-exams and and EDUCATION SERVICES (“https://www.livehindustan.com/career/” or “https://www.hindustantimes.com/education”)
  • HTML is not liable for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of any User's information. This includes, but is not limited to, technical malfunctions, human or technical error, seeding or printing errors, lost, delayed, or garbled data or transmissions, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, or failures of any telephone or computer line or network, computer equipment, software, or any combination thereof.
  • These terms and conditions will be governed by Indian law. In the event of a dispute arising under these Terms and Conditions, the courts of Delhi will have exclusive jurisdiction.
  • Any provision of the T&C that is illegal or unenforceable in a particular jurisdiction is ineffective in that jurisdiction to the extent such restriction or unenforceability exists. This has no bearing on the validity or enforceability of that provision in other jurisdictions, nor does it invalidate the T&C's other sections.
  • HTML shall not be responsible for any loss or damage suffered by the User while enrolling for the access of the board results.
  • Failure by HTML to enforce any of these Terms and Conditions in any instance(s) shall not give rise to any claim by any person.
  • The students can access the board results at free of any cost.
  • User Communication: The user expressly agrees to receive marketing communications from HTML or its representatives via email, phone, Whatsapp, or text message in order to receive notifications and information about our services including for other products of HTML and its subsidiaries, affiliates, holding company or group companies.
  • Information Collected by HTML: When you visit our site, we collect minimal information about your computer's Internet connection, including your IP address. You are not identified by your IP address. We may also collect and store information provided by your computer or mobile device in connection with your use of our website/apps, such as your browser type, computer or mobile device model, browser language, IP address, mobile carrier, unique device identifier, location, and requested and referring URLs. Even if you haven't registered an account, we acquire information when you view content on or otherwise interact with our website/app/services. We use this information to serve our web pages to you when you request them, to adapt our site to our users' interests, and to track website traffic. Our advertisers/third-party firms may use this information to customize content, advertisements, and other services.
  • Cookie policy, pixels and tracking: Cookies are little text files that are transferred to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website and include a small amount of information. When you return to the website or visit a partner website that recognises that cookie, your device will be able to connect with our website, and the website will be able to read the information stored in that cookie. We use cookies to make it easier for you to navigate our websites and to save you time by preventing you from having to re-enter your information or preferences each time you visit. We may provide you with information and show you stuff that is relevant to you thanks to cookies. We also use cookies to analyse how visitors interact with our websites so that we can improve their experience. In your browser options, you can accept or reject cookies. Most web browsers accept cookies by default; however, you can typically change this setting to refuse cookies if you want. More information about managing cookies can be found in your browser's help section: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari.
  • Third-Party: By agreeing to the terms and conditions, user hereby acknowledges and agrees that the information shared while accessing the Board Results will be shared to the third-party for reaching out with many other relatable contents and for a specific time period only. Third-party advertising materials will be displayed. Third parties may collect or receive certain information about you and/or your use of the Services (e.g., hashed data, click stream information, browser type, time and date, information about your interactions with advertisements and other content) when you use our Services, including through the use of cookies, beacons, mobile ad identifiers, and similar technologies, in order to provide content, advertising, or functionality, or to measure and analyse ad performance. This data may be coupled with data collected from other websites, online services, and other connected or associated devices. These third parties may use your information in accordance with their own privacy rules to better their own services. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of any advertising material they send to us, including ensuring that it complies with all applicable laws. We take no responsibility for the content of advertising materials, including any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies included therein.
  • HTML reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to amend or vary any of these Terms & Conditions at any time without prior notice or intimation.
  • By availing the Service provided by HTML, User hereby acknowledges and agrees to abide by the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and other policies as may be amended from time to time.
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, November 08, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On
// // //