Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 9 : The Uttar Pradesh government has revised the system of providing admissions to underprivileged children in private schools, introducing stricter rules and stronger monitoring. The application process will now be fully online, with Aadhaar cards of both parents and the child made mandatory.
The age limit for pre-primary admission has been set between 3 to 6 years, and for Class 1 between 6 to 7 years. For the first time, a District-Level Implementation and Monitoring Committee has been formed, chaired by the District Magistrate. More than a dozen district-level officers will serve as members to oversee the process. Additionally, disputes arising during admission will be resolved by a four-member committee under the Chief Development Officer (CDO).
Basic Education Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Sandeep Singh said, "This initiative of the government will prove to be a milestone in making education accessible to all. No underprivileged child will be deprived of quality education. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure equal opportunities for every section of society."
The scheme covers children from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backwards classes, orphans, destitute children, children of parents suffering from HIV/AIDS or cancer, and children from families with disabilities. Families with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh are also eligible.
All applications will be submitted via the portal. Schools must upload details of their available seats on the portal. The list of allotted students will be made public to prevent discrepancies. The government will bear the tuition fees of admitted children. Additionally, parents will receive an annual grant of Rs 5,000 directly into their bank accounts to purchase uniforms and books.
According to the government order, parents attempting admission with fake or forged documents will face legal action. The move also aims to curb schools' arbitrary practices and potential irregularities in fee reimbursement. Schools will no longer have unchecked freedom. If a school denies admission to an allotted child without a valid reason, its recognition may be withdrawn.
Director General of School Education, Kanchan Verma, stated that after a child is allotted admission, the school must upload the details on the RTE online portal and UDISE portal, ensuring the creation of a UDISE ID. If this process is not completed, the school will not be eligible for fee reimbursement.
To ensure transparency in financial arrangements, reimbursement and aid will be provided only after bills submitted by schools are 100 per cent verified by district officials. This verification will include matching the registration numbers of students enrolled in previous and current academic sessions with school allotments. Furthermore, Block Education Officers will conduct quarterly on-site inspections to verify the presence of admitted students.