In a significant move aimed at simplifying access to education, the Uttar Pradesh government has relaxed the documentation norms for admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The key change removes the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar cards for the child and both parents during the application process for underprivileged children seeking seats in private schools.
Streamlining the Application Process
Now, only the Aadhaar card of one parent will be sufficient to fill out the online application form for RTE admissions. This decision is expected to significantly ease the process for families from disadvantaged groups who may face difficulties in obtaining documents. The directive was issued by Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, the Additional Chief Secretary of Basic and Secondary Education.
Sharma emphasized that the government's effort is to make 'ease of living' a tangible reality, particularly for genuinely disadvantaged families, in the true spirit of the RTE Act. However, he clarified that financial aid provided under the RTE scheme will be transferred only into the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of the parents. Applicants must provide these bank details during the admission application.
Revised Age Criteria and Admission Targets
The fresh set of directives, sent to all District Magistrates (who also serve as presidents of the District Education Project Committee), provides clear guidelines. As per Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the annual district-wise admission targets will cover up to 25% of the total capacity of the lowest entry class (Class 1 or pre-primary) in all unaided private schools in the district.
The order also standardizes the age limit for admissions across different classes:
- Children aged 3 or above, but less than 4 years, will be admitted to Nursery.
- Those aged between 4 and 5 years will be enrolled in LKG.
- Children aged between 5 and 6 years will be admitted into UKG.
- Those between 6 and 7 years will go to Class 1.
All document verification for these admissions will be carried out at the level of the Block Education Officer and the Basic Shiksha Adhikari.
Transparent School Allocation via Online Lottery
The process of allocating schools to approved applicants will be conducted through a transparent, two-stage online lottery system on a specified date. The first stage is randomisation, where all verified and approved applications will be shuffled online. Each application will then be assigned a unique lottery number based on this randomisation.
The second stage is allotment. In lots of 100, each applicant will be allotted a school based on their stated preference, following the ascending order of the assigned lottery numbers. The final list generated from this process will require the approval of the District Magistrate, ensuring oversight and fairness.
This overhaul of the RTE admission procedure in Uttar Pradesh marks a concerted effort to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and make quality education more accessible to children from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, as envisioned by the landmark education law.
