Patna: The Bihar education department has extended the deadline for enrolling students in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, after thousands of selected children remained unadmitted despite an earlier cutoff.
Officials have directed all District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Programme Officers (DPOs) to ensure that admissions for shortlisted students are completed by April 10. The department has also warned that action will be taken against schools found delaying or neglecting the process.
According to the education department, the first round of online randomisation for admissions under the RTE quota was conducted on February 23. Under the provision, 25% of seats in recognised private schools are reserved for children from disadvantaged groups and weaker sections.
While 70,155 students were selected in the process across the state, only 53,479 have been admitted so far. The initial deadline for completion of admissions was March 20, but a significant number of seats remained unfilled.
In a letter issued to district-level education officials, Director of Elementary Education Vikram Virkar instructed authorities to ensure that all remaining selected students are enrolled within the extended timeline. He also directed officials to submit proposals for action against schools that show “laxity” or fail to comply with the admissions process.
The department said the extension was necessary to ensure full implementation of the RTE quota provisions and to prevent eligible students from being left out of the admission cycle.
