Amid fresh friction over implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have taken sharply contrasting trajectories: one facing contempt action, the other actively tightening checks on private schools.
In Tamil Nadu, political advocacy group Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam’s President V Eswaran has filed a contempt petition against the State government in the Madras High Court, alleging it has failed to start RTE admissions for the academic year 2025–26, as per The Hindu.
The move comes despite the court’s clear directive on June 10 to commence admissions and reimburse private schools, cautioning that non-receipt of central funds was no excuse to shirk statutory obligations. The court had even nudged the Union Ministry of Education to consider separating RTE implementation from broader debates on the National Education Policy (NEP).
Reacting to this, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi signalled the State’s intent to escalate the matter by moving the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition. Anticipating this, Eswaran said he had filed a caveat petition to ensure his side would be heard, stressing, “The State cannot keep six lakh underprivileged children waiting while it decides whether or not to follow a court order,” The Hindu reports.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has been advancing its RTE exercise with caution, and firmness. On June 28, B Srinivasa Rao, Samagra Shiksha State Project Director, warned private schools against denying admissions to students allotted seats under Section 12 (1)(c) of the Act, which mandates reserving 25% seats at entry level for marginalised students. He underscored that refusals “without any valid reason” would lead to departmental action.
To facilitate the process, district Additional Project Coordinators have been given special logins to confirm admissions, while the deadline was extended to July 2 following parental requests. A total of 8,583 students were allotted seats in the second lottery held on June 20. Earlier, the first phase had seen 23,118 students get allotments, of whom 15,541 had confirmed their spots. As noted by The Hindu, the State also formed District Admission Monitoring Committees to ensure transparency, alongside publishing district-wise data.
Civil society has been pushing for even stronger enforcement. The Times of India highlights how Visakhapatnam-based Child Rights Awareness Forum, led by its president Gondu Dhanalakshmi, recently urged the Andhra Pradesh government to call a meeting with school managements. She argued that several private institutions continued to resist admitting disadvantaged children under the free quota, despite clear statutory mandates.
