MLA sets up camp to help families obtain RTE admissions in pvt schools

“During election campaign, I saw the vast gap between educated and uneducated persons in my constituency, as Thousand Lights constituency is thickly populated with daily wage earners. To help them ensure better education for their children and to create awareness about RTE Act, the awareness camp has been organised with the help of volunteers from ‘Kadal’, an NGO.

Through the camp parents can apply for their children in private schools they desire under RTE Act,” Ezhilan told DT Next. The Act mandates that private schools should earmark 25 per cent seats for children from BPL families. There are about 1.12 lakh seats under RTE in more than 10,000 private schools in the State.

The admission process has commenced and would go on till July 30. Ezhilan decided to utilise the period by arranging the camp till July 30 to guide the parents. “Two volunteers will be present at my office in Lake Area, Nungambakkam, from 10 am to 12 noon till July 30 to help parents. They will tell them about the certificates required and will fill the forms for uneducated parents. As this is pandemic time, we did not want parents to crowd. So the date has been given till July 30, which will be sufficient for them to assemble in small numbers,” he said.

Murali, who came to fill LKG admission form for his son, Jaswanth, said the camp was helpful for those like him. The volunteers helped him in filling the forms and also getting appropriate certificates that should be submitted along with the forms. Ezhilan said after July 30, he would inspect every private school in his constituency to check the status of RTE admissions. If there are vacancies, the applications submitted at his office would be forwarded to ensure that all the seats under RTE Act are filled, he added