RTE: Online lottery row ensues

The much delayed online lottery for the 25 per cent reservation seats under the Right To Education Act in private unaided schools was conducted on Monday wherein 4,125 applicants were supposed to be allotted seats. However, according to BMC officials, due to some technical problems the lottery results have been withheld and will be announced soon. The first round of the lottery was held on April 20.

According to Sudhir Paranjpe, of NGO Anudanit Shiksha Bachao Samiti that is helping parents with the RTE admissions said that the lottery has been a farce as many applicants from the first round have not been accommodated by the allotted schools.

“In the first round there were 6,561 seats on offer from which the BMC received 6,409 applications. Out of this 3,411 applicants were allotted seats but only 2,041 applicants managed to confirm their seat in the allotted school. Many schools that were allotted the remaining 1370 seats refused to oblige and did not admit the students. These students were supposed to get seats allotted in the second round of lottery,” said Paranjpe.

Incidentally, 243 applicants had also been rejected by the schools on the grounds that they had submitted false documents. These applicants were not included in the second lottery.

Speaking on the process, an official from the BMC’s education section said, “The lottery was announced in Pune but due to technical reasons the allotments have not been announced today.

The state education department which is conducting the lottery all over the state has asked for the results to be withheld for a couple of days and will be announcing the same soon,” said the official.

Paranjpe was however not amused by the development and said, “Schools have already started and the final date for the lottery had been June 30. The further delay will only result in students lagging behind and further delay will deny them the rights espoused in the RTE Act. Someone has to take responsibility for the same and the education department should take urgent action in this regard,” said Paranjpe.