mumbai

Updated: Apr 29, 2017 23:52 IST

Mumbai students allotted seats in the Right to Education (RTE) quota can confirm their admissions till tomorrow (Saturday) in the fifth and final round. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has given an extra day to students who have not yet reported to schools to book their seats.

As per the RTE Act, an online admission process is being held for 25% seats at entry-level​-kindergarten or class 1-in 334 unaided, non-minority private schools in Mumbai. The seats are reserved for students from economically and socially weaker sections, who are entitled to free education from class 1 to 8. The government reimburses the schools for the expenses incurred.

Among 203 students selected in the fifth round on April 25, so far only 13 have confirmed their seats, just a day before the admission deadline.

Surprisingly, although this year the number of applicants was at an all time high in the admissions this year, with 9,426 vying for 7,449 seats, only 29% students have confirmed admissions till now in the four rounds conducted between March 6 and April 25.

“We are astonished at the low numbers of students confirming admissions, even after a promising start,” said Mahesh Palkar, education officer, BMC, which had conducted several awareness drives to publicise the seats this year. He attributed it to students not receiving admission to the school of their choice.

Officials said that the admissions are increasing gradually every year. When the admission process began in 2014-15, 1,069 students were admitted, followed by 1,688 in 2015-16 and 2,506 in 2016-17.

“The response to the quota is getting better every year with more awareness and word- of-mouth,” said Nisaar Khan, education inspector. “We have already crossed the number of admissions recorded last year,” he added.