Over 1.26 lakh children got free admission in private schools: UP govt

Uttar Pradesh government said on Tuesday that it has ensured free admission of 1.26 lakh underprivileged children in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

This accounts for 68 per cent of the total 1,85,675 allocated seats, it said in a statement, asserting that full transparency was maintained in the entire process.

The government said it received 3,34,953 applications, of which 2,52,269 were approved. From the approved list, 1,85,675 children were allotted schools and over 1.26 lakh of them have been enrolled.

Uttar Pradesh's Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said, "This figure is a ray of hope for the poor. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, we are strengthening the foundation of social justice in the education sector." The government aims to ensure that every child, regardless of their social or economic background, has access to quality education, he added.

The top-performing districts for RTE enrollments include Basti (94 per cent), Lalitpur and Firozabad (93 per cent), Balrampur and Pratapgarh (92 per cent), Shravasti and Hardoi (91 per cent), and Etah, Deoria, and Jaunpur (88 per cent each).