The Directorate of School Education (Elementary), Punjab, has issued a directive to all unaided private schools in the state, instructing them to complete the admission process for children selected under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, for the academic session 2026-27 by July 20. These admissions pertain to the 25% quota reserved for children from Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Disadvantaged Groups (DG) in recognised private schools across Punjab.
No Screening or Fees for Selected Students
According to the guidelines, no child selected under the quota can be subjected to any screening process or entrance test, nor can any fee be charged at the time of admission, in strict compliance with RTE norms. The directive follows the declaration of the centralised online lottery results on June 24 through the Punjab RTE admission portal, after document verification of applicants. Selected students and their parents have been informed via public notices and SMS alerts.
Schools have been asked to log in to the official portal to check the list of candidates allotted to them and update the admission status and remarks against each student once the relevant module is activated. The department has also linked future financial reimbursement to portal compliance, stating that schools will be required to upload data regarding attendance, academic progress, grades, and report cards of admitted students at the end of the academic year to claim dues.
Training and Grievance Redressal
Sources in the department indicated that a programme on the functioning of the admission module is likely to be organised shortly for District Education Officers, Block Primary Education Officers, and school authorities to ensure smooth implementation. For grievance redressal, parents facing difficulties at the school level can submit a written complaint within one week to the concerned District Education Officer (Elementary), who has been designated as the Grievance Redressal Officer.
The directorate has asked officials and school heads to accord top priority to the admission process, warning that any lapse would amount to denying selected children their educational rights guaranteed under the RTE Act. The directive emphasizes that all schools must comply with the deadline and procedures to ensure that the rights of EWS and disadvantaged children are upheld under the law.
