Lucknow : The Association of Private Schools, under the leadership of its President Atul Srivastava, has expressed deep concern over the increasing pressure being exerted by officials of the Education Department and the District Magistrate’s office to admit ineligible children under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
In recent months, numerous private unaided schools across Lucknow have reported that whenever parents register complaints on the Chief Minister’s grievance portal regarding RTE admissions, officials immediately start coercing schools without proper verification of the applicants’ eligibility even when schools have already submitted their objections under Rule 8(1). In addition to acting upon complaints, officials are also arbitrarily allotting other ineligible children to private unaided schools, again without any thorough background checks or verification of required documents.
Such actions, allegedly driven by an intent to showcase swift disposal of complaints and administrative “effectiveness”, are placing an undue burden on private schools and defeating the very purpose of the RTE Act. Moreover, authorities are telling schools that they are not authorised to verify the eligibility and reject the schools which is in violation of Rule 8(1) of UP RTE 2011. Rule 8(1) states that ‘…Out of the total applicants, all the children who applied for admission, but not admitted for whatsoever reason, shall be informed in writing with the reason thereof’.
“The RTE Act is a landmark legislation aimed at providing access to quality education for economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. However, the integrity of this scheme is being compromised when ineligible applications are pushed through under official pressure,” said Srivastava. “Moreover, Rule 8(6) of UP RTE Rules 2011 penalises schools which if found having sought and received reimbursement on the basis of admission of ineligible children, by withdrawal of their recognition”, he added.
The Association maintains that while its member schools fully support and comply with the mandate of 25% free admissions under the RTE quota, this must be done strictly as per the prescribed norms. Enrolling students who do not meet the eligibility criteria deprives genuinely deserving children of their rightful place and leads to avoidable disputes and complications for schools.
The Association has urged the state government to immediately intervene and ensure:
- Transparent and rigorous verification of applicants’ eligibility before issuing admission allotments under Section 12(1)(c).
- No coercive action against schools that seek to uphold the rule of law and maintain due process.
- A consultative mechanism between school managements and district officials to address any concerns regarding RTE implementation.
Srivastava further appealed to the Chief Minister to protect the interests of all stakeholders—especially the deserving students who truly benefit from this progressive legislation.
