Patna: The admission process for Class 1 under the Right to Education (RTE) Act in recognised private schools of Patna district will begin on January 2. The District Education Office has clarified that an Aadhaar card will not be mandatory at the time of filling the application form. However, Aadhaar details of the child and parents must be submitted within three months of admission, which will be uploaded on the Gyan Deep portal by the school headmaster.
For orphaned children, Aadhaar will not be required. Instead, an undertaking certificate issued by the concerned institution will be considered valid. Under the disadvantaged group category, children belonging to SC, ST, OBC, transgender and minority communities can apply if the annual income of their parents is up to ₹1 lakh. Under the weaker section category, children from all castes or communities whose parents’ annual income is less than ₹2 lakh will be eligible. The age of the child should be six years as on April 1, 2026.
According to the District Programme Officer, all recognised private schools must upload details of their sanctioned Class 1 seats on the Gyan Deep portal by December 31. Of the total seats, 25 percent are reserved under RTE for children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. Strict action will be taken against schools that fail to provide seat details within the stipulated deadline.
The district education authorities have also made it mandatory for every private school to admit at least 10 children each from the disadvantaged group and weaker section under RTE in Class 1. District Education Officer Saket Ranjan said that while 25 percent reservation under RTE already exists, fresh departmental instructions require each school to ensure admission of a minimum of 10 children from their respective feeder areas in both categories. The last date to apply for RTE admission on the Gyan Deep portal is January 25.
As per official records, there are 1,129 registered private schools in Patna district. However, only 289 schools have so far uploaded their seat details on the portal. If all registered private schools admit 10 children each, a total of 11,290 children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups will benefit. The District Education Officer has warned that failure to comply with the minimum admission requirement may lead to cancellation of school registration.
Applicants will be required to upload documents including birth certificate, caste certificate, income certificate and residence certificate within three months of admission through the school. These documents are not mandatory for orphaned children. At the time of application, parents must provide a valid mobile number and a recent colour photograph of the child. Applicants will have to select five nearest schools within their block, mentioning the distance from home. Children living within a distance of one to three kilometres from the school will be given first preference, followed by those residing three to six kilometres away. Seat allotment will be done through a lottery system. Five percent of seats will be reserved for children with disabilities.
