Only 38 of 128 pvt CBSE schools in TN have admitted students under RTE Act

COIMBATORE: Even though the state school education board has come out with a formula to compensate private unaided schools for education children admitted under the 25 per cent reservation clause of the RTE Act, private CBSE schools in the state continue to have a poor track record pertaining to the implementation of the Act.
When RTI activist and MDMK state youth wing secretary V Easwaran sought information regarding this issue, only 128 of the total 390 CBSE schools in the state provided the requested information.“Of the 128 schools, only 38 had admitted students under RTE,” Easwaran said.
Information received from the CBSE regional office in Chennai revealed that only 762 of the 3,055 seats allocated under RTE in the 128 schools had been filled. This is despite the fact that schools received 2,958 applications for the 3,055 available seats. “All the nine Kendriya Vidyalaya (central schools) that responded to the query have filled all seats allotted under RTE,” Easwaran said. While these nine central schools had received 2,826 applications, just 2,958 applications for admissions under RTE were received by 119 private CBSE schools in the state.
Charging that the central government had failed to ensure implementation of RTE by CBSE schools, Easwaran said regulating these schools was the need of the hour. Officials at the CBSE regional office gave contradictory statements regarding this issue. While they said that they were monitoring the implementation of the RTE in CBSE affiliated schools, they did not seem to have details of the schools and date of inspection.
Easwaran also alleges that the CBSE regional office made no effort to advertise this opportunity and sensitize the public to reservation for economically weaker students. This only means that such schools are not inclined to implementing the Act, he said. Despite the fact that education department officials have had one-onone meetings with private schools to explain how exactly they would be reimbursed, the schools are still disinclined to admit students under RTE.
Easwaran however acknowledged that an accurate picture regarding this issue could be determined only when the remaining 262 CBSE schools furnished necessary details.