TN halts RTE admissions as Centre continues to withhold funds amid NEP row

With the Union government holding back dues amounting to ₹600 crores, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to put RTE (Right to Education) admissions on hold until the dues are reimbursed this year.

As the Union government is yet to release the pending funds for the past two years, the Tamil Nadu government is unable to admit students under the RTE this year.

Every year, close to 80,000 students in Tamil Nadu are enrolled in private schools under the RTE Act at the entry-level classes. These students were able to receive quality education in nearby private schools under the RTE scheme, which is implemented with funds shared by the Union and state governments in a 60:40 ratio.

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According to Section 12 (1) (C) of the RTE Act 2009, a minimum of 25 per cent of the seats in private schools must be reserved for children from socially and economically-disadvantaged sections of society. The admissions under the RTE Act usually begin by mid-April, and applications are filed on the state government’s online portal. Admissions to schools end by May.

However, this year, the Tamil Nadu government has neither issued the notification nor made any declaration that admissions would be delayed.

Admission process has stagnated

Educationists point out that during the 2022–2023 period, the admission of underprivileged children under the RTE in Tamil Nadu saw a significant jump of 31 per cent compared to 2021–2022. But the admission process has stagnated this year.

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Last year, the School Education Department received 1,74,756 applications for 84,765 seats in private schools, and the majority of the seats were filled within a few weeks. With the pending funds, the state government couldn’t find ways to pay fees for some 80,000 RTE students if they were admitted to private schools like in previous years.

Pradhan criticised

In February 2025, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan said that funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme will not be released for Tamil Nadu unless the state government accepts the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 in its entirety.

Politicians and educationists in Tamil Nadu and non-BJP states criticised Pradhan for withholding the funds when the state resists implementation of NEP, which mandates a three-language formula in schools. But Tamil Nadu adopted the two-language formula in 1968 and has continued the same till now.

Upset parents

Scores of parents like Rajakumari Chandran of Chennai are upset about the delay of funds by the Union government for the RTE admissions.

Four years ago, Rajakumari had enrolled her son in a private school in the city under the RTE in Class 1. She had high hopes of enrolling her second child, a four-year-old daughter, in the same school this year under the RTE, as she resides within one km of the school and her socio-economic status falls within the mandatory criteria to be a beneficiary. But this year, RTE admission has been put on hold in Tamil Nadu.

"I’m very tired of waiting for the admissions under the RTE for my daughter. Since my first child is in a private school, I do not want my second child to be admitted to a government school. This will create a divide between them. At the same time, the fees charged by nearby private schools are hefty, which would be burdensome for me," said Rajakumari, a housemaid.

She added that private schools charge anywhere between ₹25,000 to ₹75,000 per year as the annual fee for LKG class.

"My child should have access to good quality education. But without any information on RTE, I can’t wait any longer. I decided to enrol her in a school that charges ₹30,000 per year," Rajakumari told The Federal.

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Another parent, K Daniel, enrolled his daughter in a government-aided school as he could not afford the hefty fees charged by private schools. He doesn’t want to take a loan and end up in debt.

"Initially, I thought of taking a loan to admit my child to a private school. But I'm not sure whether I would be able to repay and take loans every year to pay school fees. I have decided to save money for her higher education instead of spending on school education," said Daniel.

Parents in Tamil Nadu were shattered as they were forced to pay for private schools or opt for government schools.

‘No response from Centre’

Speaking to the media, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said there has been no response from the Centre to the Chief Secretary's letter sent last week seeking the early release of pending dues.

A senior School Education Department official told The Federal that the Tamil Nadu government decided to delay the RTE admissions as it could not afford to pay the fees for RTE students this year.

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"The RTE Act is a statutory provision, and the Centre must contribute 60 per cent of the costs of all the components under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. We cannot afford to pay fees for the third consecutive year. Our Chief Minister had met the Prime Minister, and several letters were sent to the Union government. Until we receive funds, we cannot issue the admission notification," said the officer.

The officer said hundreds of parents anxiously called the School Education Department helpline 14417 to know details about the RTE admission notification.

TN has filed case in SC

"It’s painful to see parents and students waiting with hope. But we can only solve the issue with the help of the Supreme Court. The State government has filed a case against the delay in reimbursement of funds for two years," said the officer.

When The Federal contacted DMK MP and senior advocate P Wilson about the status of the case with the Supreme Court, he said the filing was complete and the case would be heard anytime soon.

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"Our government has presented all facts about the delay in disbursement of funds. We are forced to delay the admissions because of the unnecessary delay by the Union government in releasing funds that were already approved for the scheme. Actually, the Union government is illegally using the funds as a token to pressurise us to accept the implementation of NEP 2020 and the PM SHRI schools scheme. Both would force our state to replace the two-language formula with a three-language formula," Wilson told The Federal.

‘Discrimination’

He also said that the unusual delay in the disbursement of funds shows the discrimination meted out to Tamil Nadu.

"The delay would affect thousands of RTE students. Private schools are also anxious to continue RTE admissions as they rely on fees to run the school and pay the salaries of staff and management. Withholding funds of a state is unconstitutional, arbitrary, and violates federalism," he told The Federal.