In a major relief for salaried parents, the Gujarat government on Saturday announced a significant increase in the income limit to enrol students in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act from the academic year 2025. Under RTE, 25% seats in private unaided schools are reserved for students from low income families and their fee from Class 1 to 8 is paid by the government every year.
Earlier, those with annual income of up to Rs 1.5 lakh in urban areas and Rs 1.20 lakh in rural areas were eligible to get their children admitted to private schools under RTE. Now, the Gujarat government has hiked this annual income limit to Rs 6 lakh per annum for both urban and rural areas. This means, those with income of Rs 50,000 per month will be eligible to get admission under RTE.
Primary Education Department officials said the state has 93, 527 seats under RTE in 13 categories.
Those in the education field have welcomed the decision as it widens the opportunities for a number of eligible students but private schools are hoping that this will also end the submission of fake income certificates by parents to get their child admitted to good schools. They are also hopeful that the process will be more transparent and streamlined.
Praful Pansheriya, State Education Minister, said the move aims to ensure that more deserving students who complete six years of age on or before June 1, 2025 get the benefit of admission to Class 1 from the coming academic year.
Minesh Shah, trustee of Ahmedabad International School (AIS) said the decision to increase the income limit from Rs 1.5 lakh has come at the right time. “However, if the bracket was kept at Rs 3 lakh rather than Rs 6 lakh per annum, RTE admission would have gone to deserving students from economically weaker sections. Those with income of Rs 50,000 per month can definitely afford private schools,” he said.
Minesh Shah, trustee of Ahmedabad International School (AIS) said the decision to increase the income limit from Rs 1.5 lakh has come at the right time. “However, if the bracket was kept at Rs 3 lakh rather than Rs 6 lakh per annum, RTE admission would have gone to deserving students from economically weaker sections. Those with income of Rs 50,000 per month can definitely afford private schools,” he said.
Manjula Pooja Shroff, CEO of Kalorex Group said the process and implementation of the new income bracket should be done thoroughly and with utmost transparency. “It should be ensured that those with salaries higher than the upper limit do not even get to register for a seat under RTE. If the issuance of income certificates to show fake income is not curbed, the seats will go to students who don’t need it while those who deserve it will be left behind,”
Shroff also added that at a time when the government is admitting the need to increase per annum income limit owing to rise in expenses, it should also pay attention to hike the minimum per annum fee that it pays to private schools for RTE students. At present this stands at Rs 15,000 at the lower end of the bracket. The hike in fees is needed as private schools are struggling to impart education with a grant of just Rs 13,000 per student from the government, she said.