Nagpur: The much-hyped Right To Education (RTE) could prove to be damp squib as there are a few takers for the Education Department’s second round of lottery for free admissions under the quota. The response could be lukewarm considering it was held after half the academic session has already been over.
A total of 1,888 students in the city became eligible for seats in 291 schools across the city after the draw held on December 3 (Thursday). Subsequently, the admission process commenced on Friday to be lasted till December 12. Sources said that a very few seats could get filled even though the exact figures could be known only in second week of December. However, many a school have expressed their displeasure saying the midsession lottery for RTE would not serve any purpose now. An office-bearer of MESTA) said, “Now, all students who have been selected in the latest round are already studying in some school or other, which means the purpose of RTE admissions has already been achieved. At the most, they may not have got admission in the school which was their first preference. So, why conduct lottery to reach a goal which has already been completed?”
An RTE activist asserted that “The Education Department must learn from this and prepare properly for next year’s admissions. Shifting students so late in the academic year is going to be a problem for many. Even parents would not want to inconvenience their kids at such a time.
For its part, the Education Department is going ahead with the draws because seats in schools remain vacant. As per rule, RTE seats cannot be left vacant and multiple rounds have to be conducted so that they get filled up.
