NEW DELHI: Two days after an 11-year-old student moved the Supreme Court alleging that the CM SHRI schools’ entrance procedure violates the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena notified the establishment of 75 CM SHRI schools as “specified category” institutions under the Act, the Directorate of Education said in a notification.

These schools, functioning under the Directorate of Education, will be developed as specialised institutions aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.

According to the government, the schools aim to provide skill-based, competency-driven education and prepare students for global standards.

They will begin either from the nursery level or from Class 6, with admissions from Class 6 onwards based on an aptitude test to identify talented students.

The proposal to establish the CM SHRI schools was vetted by the Law, Planning and Finance departments and approved by the Delhi Cabinet in May this year before being sent to the LG, the statement said.

“In pursuance of provisions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi hereby notifies the establishment of 75 CM SHRI schools as ‘specified category’ schools under the Directorate of Education. These CM SHRI schools shall possess a distinct character in terms of mission, objective and education model,” the notification read.

The writ petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, argued that mandatory entrance tests violate Article 21-A, which guarantees the right to free and compulsory education, as well as Section 13 of the RTE Act, which prohibits the use of any “screening procedure” in admissions. The petitioner, Janmesh Sagar, a Class VI student at Government Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, had applied for admission to a CM SHRI school for the 2025-26 academic year.

Following a government circular issued on July 23, 2025, he appeared for an entrance test on September 13, 2025, as mandated. The petition contended that such tests are unlawful and discriminatory, stressing that CM SHRI schools fall under the “specified category” of the RTE Act and are not exempt from Section 13’s provisions.

It also argued that previous Delhi High Court interpretations excluding specified category schools from the RTE Act contradict Article 21-A and Section 13.