What is the deadline for admmission? What if the deadline is missed?
A child should be admitted at the start of the academic year, but no child can be denied admission at any later date either.
How would admission be done, if there are no tests and no documentation required?
No admission can be denied for lack of any documentation, including proof of age.
What if a government school lacks the prescribed norms and standards?
If the problem is not rectified at the local level, the matter can go to NCPCR/SCPCR or the courts, as a serious violation of the law.
Would special schools run by NGOs qualify as legal schools under the Act?
Yes, provided that the special schools run by NGOs attain the norms and standards as defined in the Act, they will qualify as legal schools; within three years of notification of the Act
Since the Act talks about age appropriate enrollment, but no documents are required at the time of admission, how would the age of child be determined?
The Act does not specify a procedure. The Rules are likely to make that clear. However, written submissions by parents on the age of the child may be accepted as age proof at the time of admission.
What about the courts? Which court can one go to and who can go?
As the RTE is now a fundamental right, it is justiciable from the lowest to the highest court of the country. One can file a case in the lowest civil court, or the Supreme/High Court, depending on the nature of complaint.
What documentation would be required at the time of admission?
Proof of age document would be required at the time of admission to determine which class she is to be admitted, since age-appropriate education is the provison of the RTE. Birth certificate or such other document issued by a statutory body may be issued for proof of age. However, if no such documents are available with the parent, the child will still be admitted in the school. In such situations, the age of the child as stated by the parents will be considered to determine the age appropriate class for the child.
What is the step by step process to seek admission under RTE?
When can a child be admitted to a school during the year?
At any time of the year when he/she attains six years of age, or is an older out of school child.
What will be the role of the NAC and SACs?
They shall act as advisory bodies. They could also facilitate research and studies and systemic evaluation to help improve the implementation of the Act.
The NAC is also likely to be the body that will monitor the norms and standards of a school contained in the schedule attached to the Act, and suggest changes to it whenever necessary
