RTE: The Uttar Pradesh government has simplified the admission process for underprivileged children in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act by removing the requirement of a child’s Aadhaar card. The revised norms aim to make RTE admissions more accessible for families from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Child’s Aadhaar No Longer Mandatory For RTE Admissions
Under the new guidelines, applicants will only need the Aadhaar card of one parent to complete the online RTE admission form. Earlier, Aadhaar details of both the child and parents were mandatory. The decision was announced through fresh directives issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Basic and Secondary Education) Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma.
The government clarified that financial assistance under the RTE Act will be transferred only to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of parents, details of which must be provided during the application process.
‘Ease Of Living’ For Disadvantaged Families
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Sharma said the government’s objective is to promote “ease of living,” especially for families genuinely belonging to weaker and disadvantaged sections, in line with the spirit of the RTE Act.
The order, issued to all district magistrates, who also serve as presidents of the District Education Project Committees (DEPC), reiterated that admissions under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, will be capped at 25% of the intake capacity of the entry-level class (nursery or Class 1) in unaided private schools in each district.
RTE: Age Criteria And Online Lottery System
The government has also laid down clear age norms for admission. Children aged 3 to under 4 years will be eligible for nursery, 4 to 5 years for LKG, 5 to 6 years for UKG, and 6 to 7 years for Class 1.
Document verification will be carried out at the Block Education Officer and Basic Shiksha Adhikari levels. Once applications are approved by the district authorities, school allocation will be done through an online lottery system conducted in two stages- randomisation and allotment.
The final list of allotted schools will be approved by the district magistrate.
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