Last updated time: 11 March 2023, 14:23 IST
Maharashtra slashes annual fees of RTE quota students to Rs 8,000 after school closure due to March 2020 lockdown (Representational Image)
The RTE Act requires private unaided schools to reserve one-fourth of their seats for children belonging to marginalized and economically disadvantaged sections of society.
The Maharashtra government has increased the fees for children admitted to private unaided schools under the Right to Education (RTE) quota. This changed fee structure means a reversal of the expenditure incurred by the central and state administrations in the pre-Covid period in the state for training such students, a leading news daily reported.
In March 2020, the state reduced the annual fee of RTE quota students to Rs 8,000 after schools were closed due to the recession. This happened in the 2021-22 academic year as well. Before the pandemic, the fee for the academic year 2019-20 was Rs 17,670.
The RTE Act requires private unaided schools to reserve one-fourth of their seats for children belonging to marginalized and economically disadvantaged sections of society. The mandate applies from primary to 8th grade. These students are paid by the government. A provision in the RTE Act states that all compensation should be paid by the Center and state governments in the ratio of 60:40.
However, in Maharashtra, as in many other Indian states, reparations have been slow in coming. According to reports, since the RTE Act was first implemented in the state in 2011-12, the state government has sent payments only in installments. This has thrown the finances of several schools in Maharashtra into disarray.
“The government is bound to refund around Rs 1,200 crore to schools from the academic year 2017-18,” Maharashtra English School Association (MESA) president Pravin Avhale told the publication less than three months ago.
Unaided Schools Forum Honorary Secretary SC Kedia said, “There is definitely more than Rs 1,200 crore pending with the government. They are hiding the real numbers and misleading the public.”
In February, officials said RTE had more than one lakh seats under the 25 percent reservation quota. They are spread across more than 8,600 schools in Maharashtra. Registration of candidates for this quota began on February 20. Private schools responded to the initiative, far fewer than expected at 9,230 schools.
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