RTE reimbursement delay; TN schools demand immediate payment

Chennai: More than 7,600 private matriculation schools in the state are yet to get pending reimbursements worth 450 crore under the Right to Education Act (RTE) from the state, even though 75 days have passed since the govt sanctioned 875 crore for disbursal.The delay has irked private school associations and parents alike. Parents said schools resorted to collecting tuition fees from them illegally to make up for the losses they incurred.
In Dec 2025, through two orders, the govt announced that it would disburse 875 crore to schools in two instalments — 425 crore for the year 2023-24 and 450 crore for 2024-25. While officials in the directorate of private schools had then told TOI that the amount would reach the schools in 10 days, it took more than 30 days for 2023-24 pending dues to reach all schools."Now, the dues for 2024-25 are pending too. Every single time, there is a prolonged delay. We do not know how long it would take for them (govt) to release the amount. Already, we waited two years for the govt sanction," Federation of Private Schools Association president M Arumugam said.For the delay in disbursal of the first instalment, officials in Samagra Shiksha — through which the funds are disbursed — said that several schools incorrectly tagged their account numbers in the EMIS portal and had KYC authentication issues.However, for the second instalment, these issues were resolved, officials said, adding, "In fact, the amount is ready for disbursal. A few administrative delays between departments are holding the process up," an official said.When contacted, Samagra Shiksha director M Aarthi said arrangements have been made for disbursal and the money would reach the schools within a week.