Assam: At long last, State Education Department to Launch Portal

25% seats for poor students in private schools

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: After repeated directives from the Gauhati High Court, at long last, the Education Department, Assam, is all set to launch its portal on November 21 for 25 percent reservation of seats for economically weaker students in private schools that are operational in the state.

In its latest directive to this effect, the high court set the deadline of November 25, 2024, for the state education department to submit its action taken report to the court.

According to sources, the State Education Department is all set to launch the portal on the 25 percent reservation of seats for the admission of economically weaker students in private schools in the state. The motto is to facilitate students belonging to economically weaker sections living near private schools getting admission. According to sources, the department has prepared district-wise lists of private schools for admission of local and poor students. The lists comprise 2,396 schools at the lower primary level and 1,186 at the upper primary level. As many as 28 such private schools have been listed in Guwahati alone. The schools are SBOA, Maharishi Vidyalaya, Monfort School, Royal Global, NPS International School, Swadeshi Academy, etc. The department listed 225 such schools in Goalpara, 85 in Cachar, 82 in Dhubri, 55 in Lakhimpur, 45 in Nalbari, etc.

The willing guardians of students falling under this category (economically weaker students) can apply in the portal soon after its launch on November 25, 2024.

The Right to Education Act mandates that “25 percent of seats at entry level—Class I or pre-primary section—in private unaided schools must be reserved for children from economically weaker and disadvantaged sections. These poor students will get free education with the government reimbursing their tuition fees to the private schools.

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