Parents protest ‘irregularities’ in admissions under RTE | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Parents staged a protest on Monday over alleged irregularities in the admission process for students from economically weaker sections (EWS) and disadvantaged groups (DG)s in private unaided schools across the state under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The protesters opposed the alleged rejection of over 8,000 applications without valid grounds and raised concerns that more than 5,000 students had not been allotted any school.
Admissions under the RTE quota, which mandates 25% reservation for EWS and DG students in private schools, were conducted through the Paradarshi web portal this year. Out of 36,695 applications received, 27,082 were verified at the block education office level, while 8,101 — nearly 25% — were rejected. Of the verified applications, 21,843 students were allotted schools, leaving 5,239 students without any placement.
Director of elementary education Jyoti Ranjan Mishra said that the admission process was fully transparent and conducted online without human intervention. “The system is end-to-end encrypted. The first round of selection is over, and second and third rounds are yet to be completed, where all applicants will be accommodated based on seat availability,” Mishra said.
However, parents alleged that authorities were deliberately delaying the admission process to favour private schools. “We request the chief secretary for timely intervention, which is crucial to uphold the spirit of the RTE Act and ensure that marginalised children in Odisha are not denied their right to quality education,” said Padmanav Soren, a parent.
The protesting parents demanded re-verification of all 8,101 rejected applications by a joint committee involving parent representatives, immediate allotment of schools for students left without placements, and the formation of a monitoring committee comprising govt officials and parents’ organisations to oversee the admission process.
Admissions under the RTE quota, which mandates 25% reservation for EWS and DG students in private schools, were conducted through the Paradarshi web portal this year. Out of 36,695 applications received, 27,082 were verified at the block education office level, while 8,101 — nearly 25% — were rejected. Of the verified applications, 21,843 students were allotted schools, leaving 5,239 students without any placement.
Director of elementary education Jyoti Ranjan Mishra said that the admission process was fully transparent and conducted online without human intervention. “The system is end-to-end encrypted. The first round of selection is over, and second and third rounds are yet to be completed, where all applicants will be accommodated based on seat availability,” Mishra said.
However, parents alleged that authorities were deliberately delaying the admission process to favour private schools. “We request the chief secretary for timely intervention, which is crucial to uphold the spirit of the RTE Act and ensure that marginalised children in Odisha are not denied their right to quality education,” said Padmanav Soren, a parent.
The protesting parents demanded re-verification of all 8,101 rejected applications by a joint committee involving parent representatives, immediate allotment of schools for students left without placements, and the formation of a monitoring committee comprising govt officials and parents’ organisations to oversee the admission process.
