Just 14% of RTE seats filled, BMC tells high court

Just 14% of RTE seats filled, BMC tells high court
Civic body had submitted affidavit in response to PIL by an NGO. It also stated govt did not reimburse money to any school in past two academic sessions.

Of the 8,223 seats available under the Right To Education (RTE) quota in 312 city schools, only 14 per cent have been filled, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the High Court on Monday.

The BMC submitted the affidavit in response to a PIL filed by NGO Anudanit Shiksha Bachao Samiti. The civic body’s affidavit said in Maharashtra over all, there was a progressive rise in the number of students taking admission under the RTE quota.

According to the affidavit, of the 312 schools in Mumbai, only two refused to participate in the online process of admissions, while eight schools granted 100 per cent admission under the RTE quota. Consistent with many schools’ argument, the affidavit indicated that the government has not reimbursed any money to any of the schools in the state in the past two academic sessions.

The affidavit also stated that show cause notices were issued to 11 schools, and if they refused to cooperate, steps will be taken to de-recognise them after consulting with the state government. The list included M N School, Gandhi Shikshan Sanstha, Angel Land School, K K Raj Popat, A T Ware School, Marol Education Academy, C G E S English Primary School (Antop Hill), C B M School, Sadhna Vidyalaya (Sion), Shri Vallabh School and St Anthony School.

According to information given by the BMC, for the 8,223 seats under the RTE quota, 964 students were admitted online and 189 offline. A staggering number of vacancies - 7,259 - are yet to be filled. In comparison to the three zones in Mumbai where only 14 per cent of the seats have been filled, Thane district fared much better. Of the 12,300 seats in 74 schools, 3,559 have been filled.

Meanwhile, the petitioners did not seem to be happy with the BMC response. Sudhir Paranjape, the activist heading Anudanit Shiksha Bachao Samiti, said, “There are several inconsistencies in the data provided in the affidavit and it does not contain adequate information. Besides, there is no mention of the allotment letters issued by the corporation itself, which are not being honoured by the schools. We will challenge the civic body in the court.”