A total of 3,294 students belonging to underprivileged sections have enrolled in 633 private schools of the district under Right to Education (RTE) during the new academic session.
The RTE ensures that the 25 per cent seats in all the private schools are kept reserved for the students belonging to the underprivileged classes.The District Coordinator of RTE SK Verma told The Pioneer there are 4085 vacancies in the 633 schools in the district and the department is planning to fill remaining 791 vacancies by April 30.
The Section 2D of RTE mentions that students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), non creamy layers of Other Backward Castes (OBCs), patients of leprosy and AIIDS should be the beneficiaries of 25 per cent reservations under RTE.
The Section 2E includes all the individuals with an annual income of less than Rs55,000 as the beneficiary of the aforesaid scheme under the RTE. The students belonging to the above two categories could opt any school in their neighbourhood and enrol their wards in class I of that school. The schools are bound to give admissions in the 25 per cent seats and in-case the seats are not filled they should keep these seats vacant.
These vacant seats should be filled only by the students belonging to the underprivileged sections any time during the academic session.