Nashik Education Department Reinstates 3km Radius for RTE Admissions, Extends Deadline
The state education department in Nashik issued a crucial directive on Tuesday, urging parents seeking admissions for their children under the Right to Education (RTE) Act to promptly update their application forms. In a significant revision, applicants are now required to select private unaided schools located within a 3-kilometer radius of their homes. This move effectively replaces the recently introduced 1-kilometer restriction, which has been officially withdrawn following legal intervention.
Court Stay Leads to Policy Reversal
A senior official from the Nashik Zilla Parishad's education department confirmed the policy change, stating, "The government has restored the earlier 3km limit for selecting private unaided schools, replacing the recently introduced 1km restriction. The deadline for completing the online application process has also been extended to March 25." This revision comes in response to the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court's stay on the Maharashtra government's February 12 decision. That decision had restricted RTE admissions to schools within a 1km radius, creating uncertainty among parents and officials as the original March 18 deadline approached without clarity from the department.
Updated Application Procedure for Parents
The official outlined the new steps for applicants: "Now the process has been updated. Applicants must click 'unconfirm' in their applications, after which they will be routed to the block education officer (BEO) for rural areas and the administrative officer in municipal corporations." Under the RTE Act, 25% of seats in private unaided schools are reserved for children from disadvantaged groups living near the schools, with the government covering their tuition fees. The official added, "Officers too will 'unconfirm' applications at their end, enabling parents to modify their school preferences within the permitted distance. The procedure is quick and parents may contact their respective offices for faster processing if needed."
Application Statistics Across Nashik Division
The Nashik division, which includes Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, and Ahilyanagar districts, has witnessed substantial interest in RTE admissions. So far, the division has received 30,619 applications for 14,482 available seats across 1,136 schools. A detailed breakdown reveals:
- Nashik district: 12,910 applications for 5,673 seats in 394 schools.
- Ahilyanagar district: 6,689 applications for 3,765 seats in 348 schools.
- Jalgaon district: 7,505 applications for 3,379 seats in 253 schools.
- Dhule district: 2,805 applications for 1,307 seats in 99 schools.
- Nandurbar district: 710 applications for 358 seats in 42 schools.
This data underscores the high demand for RTE seats in the region, highlighting the importance of the extended deadline and revised radius for ensuring fair access to education. Parents are advised to act swiftly to update their applications before the new March 25 cutoff.
