What is Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act? This provision mandates a 25% reservation for students from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in private schools.
But there are still queries from parents, asking if the provision of the RTE Act is genuine and if it is applicable to other students apart from those who are seeking admission to Class I? To answer all these queries, Democratic Sangha, an NGO, has been campaigning to raise awareness among the marginalised communities and currently, they are focussing on assisting parents in enrolling their children in unaided private schools for free in Andhra Pradesh. "The social media campaign with prominent celebrities works as a catalyst for raising awareness," says Brahmachari Chaitanya, Founder, Democratic Sangha.
But how do parents enrol their children?
People can directly apply via https://cse.ap.gov.in/ which is the official website of the Government of Andhra Pradesh Department of School Education. The process of directly applying becomes smooth if you have all the documents ready.
Children can apply under two categories: the disadvantaged category or the EWS category. The eligibility criteria for both slightly vary from state to state in terms of family, but here is a general overview:
1) Disadvantages Communities: Children belonging to SC/ST communities; orphans, intellectually and physically challenged children, HIV-affected and infected children
2) Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): Children from backward classes, minorities and open-category children whose family income does not exceed Rs 1,20,000 in rural areas and Rs 1,44,000 in urban or semi-urban areas (incomes specific to Andhra Pradesh)
Parents or guardians of eligible children must go to the website of the Government of Andhra Pradesh Department of School Education, where they must find the tab for RTE admission, and follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Click on register and give either their child’s or their own Aadhaar card number, alongside a valid phone number. An OTP is sent to the registered mobile number which must be put in for authentication
Step 2: The guardian will receive a username as well as a password on the registered mobile number. They must log in to the website using them
Step 3: Fill in the application form with the following information:
1) Student Full Name
2) Student Aadhar Number
3) Student's Date of Birth
4) Email ID
5) District
6) Mandal
7) Secretariat
8) House Number
9) PIN CODE
10) Mobile Number
11) Rice Card No
12) Age
13) Gender
14) Religion
15) Caste
16) The name of the Guardian/Parent if applicable
18) Parent/Guardian Aadhaar Number if applicable
19) Does the child have a sibling? Yes or No
20) What Disadvantaged group do they belong to?
21) Is the residential address of the child/parent/guardian is same as above? Yes or No
22) Proof of Present Address Document
Step 4: After giving the above details and submitting the application the parents or the guardian will be directed to choose a school of their choice.
Now that the registration process is complete, the government must verify the candidate's eligibility.
After government verification, children are selected based on a lottery.
