No school admissions before April

As per the Karnataka Education Act 1983, admissions to private aided, unaided, pre-primary, primary, and high schools should start from April. The schools have also been advised to follow the calendar of events issued by the department.

Schools have to notify admissions by placing all related issues on the notice board. Once applications have been issued, schools should announce the last date for submission of application forms, last date for admission, and the list of selected students on the notice board.

The admission process will be monitored in each district by the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI). The District Level Education Regulating Authority (DLERA), which has been dormant all these years, will now look into complaints related to admissions. The DLERA will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner, and will take action on schools not following the rules laid down by the department. The head of the school will be held responsible if found guilty in the report submitted by the DDPI to the DLERA. It appears that the State government has finally decided to give up on the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) for the coming year. The circular is a reiteration of the existing policy, and does not involve any of the new policies introduced by the RTE.