Bangalore: The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has been more alert this year and has brought forward its calendar of events and thus ensured that admissions under the RTE free quota are completed in the first week of March.
This comes on the heels of complaints that by the time the DPI starts the RTE free quota admission process in the city, a majority of schools have already completed the admissions process.
The DPI’s calendar of events used to slot the admissions process for the last week of April. Last year, private schools had to be warned not to start the admission process before January. Now, for the first time, the DPI has fallen in line with the general admission trend.
According to the calendar of events 2014-15, all the block educational officials should annoÂunce the number of seats available under RTE free quota in their respective blocks on January 6, 2014. Students and parents will be given a month's time (between January 7 and February 8) to apply to their neighbourhood schools.
Over the next 10 days, the schools must verify the applications and forward the selection list to the concerned block education officer (BEO). The selected candidates will be announced on FebrÂuary 28. Schools should admit these students from March.3
No changes: according to officials, most BEOs already have a list of schools and seats available. "There will be no confusion at all regarding the data on neighbourhood schools and seats available under the RTE. Now the process of including new schools is in process and a clear picture of the number of seats available will emerge by the last week of December," said a BEO.
Income limit: last year parents with an annual income of upto Rs.3.5 lakh got seats under the RTE quite easily. But this year, the first preference will be given to children whose annual family income is less than Rs.1lakh. The rest of the students will be considered only if there are free seats left over.
Early admission process: An officer says that the DPI's move is expected to be well received by all stake holders. "Last year the admission process dragged on till May and those who didn't get seats under the RTE had to run from pillar to post to secure a seat in the general category. This year there will be two months’ time for such students," he said.
