Gurgaon: The implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Haryana has hit a hurdle. Thousands of underprivileged children are facing uncertainty over admissions to private schools this year.’As per the schedule, private schools were required to upload details of 25% reserved seats for entry-level classes by midnight on March 20. However, despite the state govt setting a target of enrolling nearly one lakh students, the response from private institutions has remained lukewarm.So far, only 66,640 seats have been uploaded on the official portal — nearly one-third less than the target — while 626 private schools have not displayed their reserved seats at all. This has put the hopes of around 33,350 children from 22 districts at risk, raising serious concerns over access to education for economically weaker sections.A senior official from the education department said that strict instructions have been issued by the directorate and warned that action will be taken against schools violating RTE norms.The verification process by district elementary education officers will continue till March 29, after which the final list will be released between April 1 and April 6. Parents will be able to apply from April 9 to April 16, and allotment of schools is expected by April 20.District-wise data reveals a mixed picture of compliance. Faridabad leads with 1,372 schools, of which 1,287 have displayed seats and 85 have not, offering a total of 8,543 seats, including 3,810 in nursery, 50 in LKG, 151 in UKG, and 4,532 in Class 1.Gurgaon has 583 schools contributing 4,828 seats, followed by Hisar with 4,760 seats from 646 schools. Sonipat has reported 4,152 seats, while Palwal accounts for 3,827 seats. Panipat has 3,779 seats, Karnal 3,481 seats, Kaithal 2,803 seats, Yamunanagar 2,763 seats, and Bhiwani 2,745 seats. While some districts have shown better participation, a significant number of schools are yet to fully comply with the RTE mandate.Despite repeated directions and discussions in the Assembly, the lack of compliance by private schools continues to weaken the implementation of the scheme. The situation highlights a clear gap between policy and ground reality, leaving thousands of children in uncertainty and questioning the effectiveness of RTE in ensuring equal educational opportunities.Despite repeated directions and discussions in the Assembly, the lack of compliance by private schools continues to weaken the implementation of the scheme. The situation highlights a clear gap between policy and ground reality, leaving thousands of children in uncertainty and questioning the effectiveness of RTE in ensuring equal educational opportunities.
