RTE process yet to begin, parents confused

With the application process for admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act for the 2017-18 academic year yet to begin, parents are confused. On Monday, a meeting was called with officials from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to test the online application software. As there were snags in the software, the application process was further postponed with no dates for its commencement announced.  

“Even after issuing a notification, they have been repeatedly delaying the start of the process. When we call the department helpline for clarification, they don’t have answers,” a parent said.

The department had issued a notification on December 12 calling for applications on their website from January 15 to February 15, along with instructions and rules. However, no link was provided even when another notification was issued changing the date to January 20.

Officials in the department say the delay is because they have to update the software to collect biometric information, since Aadhaar is mandatory from this year.