25 per cent quota under RTE in trouble on Day 1

The RTE admissions for the 25 per cent reservation quota being conducted by the BMC has run into trouble on its first day itself due to technical glitches on the designated websites. Applicants have said that information entered on the site does not get saved and they are unable to process their application. Apart from this, the help centres that were to be set up for the application process are also not equipped to deal with the same.

Speaking about the problems being faced by parents belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS) of society for whom the online admission process to private institutions under the RTE 25 per cent reservation quota started on April 1, Sudhir Paranjpe, convenor of the Anudanit Shiksha Bachao Samiti (ASBS) said, “The parents were finding it difficult to log on and were facing compatibility issues too. Information gathered from the education department officials has indicated that the website was not ready for the same and similar problems were faced by parents when the online application process was held at Nashik and Raigad too in March.”

“The department has not rectified the problem and hence parents in Mumbai have faced similar problems too,” he added.

While no official of the BMC that is entrusted with conducting the online application process in Mumbai was available for comment, an official from the education department at Mantralaya said, “We have taken cognisance of the complaint by the Samiti and assured them the compatibility issue will be resolved soon. The process will become hassle-free for parents to complete the application process by April 15,” said the official.