MUMBAI: Private unaided schools who have given admissions to children from the underprivileged section of the society under the 25% quota after the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, will finally get the fee reimbursed by the state government. The school education department has issued a government resolution sanctioning Rs 2,600 lakh for the same. Schools who have enrolled students under the quota for the academic session 2012-13 and 2013-14 will get the funds by the end of this month.

Amol Dhamdhere, trustee, Indian Education Society Group and also from the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Haqq Kruti Samiti, said that the government should release the fund as early as possible. “It is very difficult for us to admit students under the quota if the funds are not released on time. In fact, we were even told that the fees will be reimbursed twice in a year. If they do not give the money, we will not be able to reserve seats for the underprivileged children.” He added that the ideal thing would have been to ask this children to enroll in government aided schools.

School education secretary, Nand Kumar, said that the department has data on the numbers of students admitted by each school in the two years and the funds will have to be released by the end of this month.

