Maharashtra's school education department has announced that admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act will begin on February 17 under a revised process. Parents must now select up to 10 private unaided schools within a one-kilometre radius of the student's registered home. Parents are opposing the changes due to delays and limited choices.
Maharashtra's school education department announced on Saturday that online applications under the Right to Education (RTE) Act will commence from February 17, following a revised admission process notified earlier this month.
The new rules introduce two significant changes: a reduced distance criterion for school selection to one kilometre from the student's registered residential address, and a requirement to upload all necessary documents online at the time of application. Under the RTE Act, 25 per cent of seats in private unaided schools are reserved for children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with the state reimbursing the schools for the fees.
Parents have expressed frustration over the delayed announcement, noting that the new academic year is just three months away. One interested parent stated, “Ideally the admission should start in December January, which is also when most schools start the admission cycle for the upcoming academic year. But delayed RTE admission process does not allow parents the opportunity to weigh available options to finally confirm admissions.”
While the revised policy specifies a strict timeline for future cycles—admissions for the 2027-28 academic year to begin in January and conclude by April—parents highlighted that the current process for 2026-27 is already behind schedule.
Mukund Kirdat of the Aam Aadmi Party, who helps underprivileged families with RTE applications in Pune, said the new distance restriction will severely limit options for applicants. “The new restriction is against the original provision of allowing parents to select from within 3km radius from their residence. But it is also going to impact schools where there will be no applications due to this restriction, they are not allowed to fill those seats through regular admissions,” he added. Kirdat has written to the school education minister opposing the changes and questioning their purpose.