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The meeting in progress on Thursday. (Bhola Prasad)
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Members of East Singhbhum’s RTE cell held a meeting with principals and management committees of private English medium schools on Thursday to clarify doubts related to the admission process and repeat the rules to ensure proper implementation of the Right to Education Act.
Around 27 representatives from the schools attended the meeting held at the district education office.
The RTE cell made it clear that schools can bank on the manual lottery system to admit students though Saras 2.0 — the automated software developed by Jupiter Software and Systems Pvt Ltd that aids draw of lots — is the preferred option. The schools were also told to issue admission forms to SCs/STs and those belonging to economically weaker sections of the society even if they cannot produce income certificates. “Our priority is fair method of selection of students so that both schools and parents are satisfied,” said Prakash Kumar, additional district programme officer, Jharkhand Education Project Council.
The cell members also asked the schools to make a list of their doubts, if any, and submit the same to the state HRD department, which will clarify the points raised through the deputy commissioner.
It also emerged at the meeting that a number of schools have not managed to fill up the 25 per cent seats meant for SCs, STs and children from economically backward sections of the society. While principals are sceptical about reimbursements, the RTE cell stressed that the seats would have to be filled up with only reserved category students and not general ones.
Out of the total 18,300 entry-level seats across 457 private schools in East Singhbhum, only 549 of 4,575 reserved seats could be filled till now.
“We had 30 reserved seats at our school but got no eligible candidate. However, we admitted some nine students with the help of a parents’ association. But now, they cannot even pay the auto fare to come to school,” said Swarna Mishra, principal, Dayanand Public School.
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