Indore tops in number of RTE seats in state after crackdown on under-reporting

Indore: Indore has recorded a sharp and unexpected rise in Right to Education (RTE) seats for 2026–27, emerging as the highest contributor in the state.The district will offer a total of 9,029 seats across 1,525 private schools, placing it well ahead of Bhopal with 7,359 seats and Jabalpur 3,502. Gwalior, Ujjain and Dhar trail further behind.The jump stands out because it comes even as the number of participating schools in Indore has fallen compared to the previous year. Last year, 1,621 schools offered 6,825 seats. This year, 96 fewer schools are part of the system, yet the seat count has increased by over 2,200. The shift points less to expansion and more to correction.Education department officials link the increase to sustained ground-level checks carried out through the year. Teams verified enrolment figures submitted by schools on the UDISE portal against actual classroom strength. These checks revealed a pattern of under-reporting, which had kept RTE seats artificially low."Once the discrepancies were identified and corrected, the seat numbers rose accordingly. Overall Indore has reported the highest number of seats for RTE admissions this year in the state," said district project coordinator Sanjay Mishra, noting that regular inspections have tightened compliance among private schools.Across the state, the figures reflect uneven reporting patterns. While Indore has seen a steep correction, other districts continue to show moderate numbers, with Gwalior reporting 4,787 seats, Ujjain 4,409 and Dhar 3,949. The contrast has drawn attention to the need for similar verification drives elsewhere.Under RTE provisions, private schools must reserve 25 percent seats at the entry level for eligible children. For the current session, applications will be accepted online from March 13 to March 28, with document verification scheduled till March 30. The final allotment will be decided through an online centralised lottery on April 2 by the state education department.With Indore's figures now setting the pace, the focus is likely to shift to whether other districts can replicate this correction and bring more seats into the system.