COIMBATORE: The Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam (MMI) has demanded that the school education department consider allowing Right to Education (RTE) admissions in private schools for students living more than one kilometre away.

MMI President V Eswaran, in his letter, cited the recent school education department notification on admission under the RTE Act 2009 for the next academic year. It mentioned that private schools should admit children who reside within a one kilometre radius from the school.

"However, other states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana follow a three kilometre distance criterion for RTE admissions in private schools, prioritising student welfare. In contrast, the Tamil Nadu government does not follow this practice; instead, it restricts admissions to students living within a one-kilometre radius," he alleged.

"Due to these restrictions, some schools are not conducting RTE admissions, leaving students from economically weaker sections unable to enroll. For the sake of student welfare, he pointed out that the school education department should take steps to extend the kilometer radius to fill the remaining vacant seats," he added.

Eswaran told TNIE that other states have successfully executed RTE admissions in CBSE schools and urged the state government to implement the same. Repeated attempts to reach the top officers of school education department went in vain.