With 20 takers, is RTE app a failed project in Mumbai? – DNA India

Software

After four rounds of admissions, only 20 parents had applied for admission through the mobile app.

Parents out side at Airforce Balbharti school

, DNA

Written By

Source

DNA

Updated: Sep 21, 2019, 06:05 AM IST

Looks like the Maximum city is far from tech-savvy. Mumbai had the lowest number of applications for Right to Education (RTE) admissions through the mobile app for the academic year 2019-20, as compared to other cities and districts of the state. After four rounds of admissions, only 20 parents had applied for admission through the mobile app.

Meanwhile, in the other regions like Thane, Pune, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, etc, the number of applications via the app is over 70. As per data released by the state education department, Pune received 246 applications, Kolhapur received 67, Aurangabad 82, Thane 65, Nagpur 40, Nasik 45, etc. Lagging behind are Palghar (9), Ratnagiri (3), Wardha (4), Chandrapur (6), and Hingoli (1)

While parents claim they do not know how to use the mobile app, many claim that non-availability of smartphones since they come from economically weak sections is a major reason behind it. As per the data shared by the BMC education department, 19 applications were from Mumbai city and only one from the suburbs.

“We never wanted to send our daughter to school. One day, an NGO approached us and informed us about RTE admissions. They explained the entire procedure. But the problem arose when we either had to go to the cyber cafe or download the app to complete the procedure. We didn’t have the money to go to the cyber so we asked a relative to do it from mobile. However, after the first segment, we could not proceed for some reason so ditched the entire idea,” said Ismail Khaleel, a parent based in Dadar. Similarly, other parents charted down similar reasons for trying to secure seats under RTE.

Under this Act, selected private-aided schools are mandated to reserve 25% of their seats at the entry-level for children from economically-weak families. Fees of these students will be reimbursed by the state government at the end of the year.

width: 640px; height: 549px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;

According to Mahesh Palkar, education officer of BMC, the department has arranged guide-centres at every ward for convenience of parents. “There should not be any confusion. Parents can approach the guide-centers anytime,” he said. When asked about the lesser applications via app in Mumbai, he said, “Most parents have a choice of school even before applying. They keep on applying to the same school again despite no vacancy. Instead of being selective about schools, if parents start registering in nearby schools, this situation wouldn’t have arisen.”