Maharashtra rules out sub-quota within 25% free seats

Updated on: Monday, June 04, 2012

The state government has specified that there will be no sub-quota within the 25% free seats that have to be made available by all schools under the Right To Education Act. This clarification has been made in a 22-page notification issued on May 25.

Sanjay Deshmukh, state project director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, said, "If the applications are in excess of seats available, the schools will have to conduct a lottery where all forms will be clubbed together."

The notification states that students eligible for the free seats should belong to either 'disadvantaged group' or 'weaker section'. "There are no further quotas," said Deshmukh.

With no clear-cut guidelines from the government, schools in Maharashtra were grappling with implementation of the 25% free seats. While it was always clear that 25% seats will be reserved for 'disadvantaged group' and 'economically weaker section', there was no clarity on which group to give preference during admissions.

The 'disadvantaged group' has been defined by the government as 'child belonging to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and any other category specified by the state'. Children belonging to 'VJNT, OBC, special backward classes, religious minorities specified by the state government and those whose parents/guardians' annual income is below Rs. 1 lakh' fall in the 'weaker section'.

"Admissions of students in the two special categories will be done after the school receives the caste and/or income certificate," said Deshmukh.

He clarified that the income certificate of parents/guardians will have to be issued by a revenue official not below the rank of a Tehsildar. Also, the caste certificate will have to be issued by a revenue official not below the rank of deputy collector. Proof of residence will also have to be given by the parents as the RTE pursues the 'neighbourhood school policy'. Under this, children can take admission in the 25% quota only in schools which are within the 1KM radius of their residence.

A CBSE school principal told TOI on condition of anonymity that being 'stuck between two agencies is always a problem'. "We come indirectly under the HRD ministry and are more than happy to follow the RTE. But the implementation of the Act has been handed over to the state department which will keep formulating its own policies. The paperwork we require for our normal admissions is so different from the ones it is asking for under the 25% quota. New forms have been prepared and it seems one staff member will be required just to fill in data only," he said.

Maharashtra rules out sub-quota within 25% free seats

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