Govt to lose 10k pupils in RTE drive at CBSE schools

With Tamil Nadu already loosing admissions of more than 4 lakh children to government schools in the past few years due to the intense Rights to Education (RTE) drive, once again the State-run institutions is in the verge of losing at least another 10,000 students’ enrolment, thanks to the School Education Department, which has issued strict orders to all the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) institutions to adopt 25 per cent enrolment through RTE.

After introducing RTE in the State, a total of 4.83 lakh students have joined private schools during the last five years with the help of the State government, which took several measures including online admissions for RTE.

RTE drive has totally dented students’ enrolment in government and government aided schools. At present, about 700 CBSE schools were functioning in Tamil Nadu with most of them failing to admit students under RTE.

However, following complaints from parents, the Directorate of School Education has issued orders to the management of all the CBSE schools to compulsorily admit students under RTE from the coming academic year and submit report to theauthorities.

A senior official from the Directorate told DT Next that to ensure transparency the application for admission under 25 per cent reservation in all the CBSE schools were instructed to be made online. “Therefore, students who are from underprivileged family background get the opportunity to study in CBSE schools without any issues,” headded.

According to him, about 10,000 students would be benefited every year under this scheme, which would cost the exchequer to the tune of more than Rs 30 crore as the government would reimburse the fees of the pupils to schools.

Opposing the government’s move to encourage RTE, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association P K Ilamaran said, State-run schools were losing lakhs of students due to RTE, which is being encouraged by the government. “Though we work hard, the admissions to LKG in government schools is low since government is concentrating only to implement RTE by getting admissions to more than four lakh children so far in private schools,” he added.

Stating that the State is also spending Rs 200 crore every year to reimburse the fees to the private schools that admit students from underprivileged group, Ilamaran said, “While government takes up the responsibility to help private schools for RTE admissions, authorities should also concentrate on increasing admissions in government and its aided schools by improving its infrastructure facilities,” he pointed out.