RTE online applications: Glitches mar Day One

 The first day of the process of submitting online forms for the RTE admission process began on a confusing note with a number of technical glitches on Tuesday.

When parents tried to log on to the website of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), they were unable to find the application forms for 2016 and instead, found a notification for applications for the RTE admissions of 2015. The error was rectified later, but not until scores of parents were left bewildered.

“The DPI website was accessible, but the RTE application was not. We were not able to submit a single form even till 7 pm. We received 500 calls and around 250 people came to our help centres.” B N Yogananda, chief secretary, RTE Students and Parents Association. An official from the DPI said that although the process of submitting forms was scheduled at 4 pm, it started only at around 6 pm due to too much load on the servers. “There were too many people who were logging on to the website at the same time. However, by 6 pm, the online forms were available and by around 7.30 pm, we received as many as 100 forms,” said the official.