UP govt strengthens private school access for underprivileged children

The Uttar Pradesh government has revised the admission process for underprivileged children in private schools, introducing stricter regulations and stronger monitoring mechanisms.

The application process will now be fully online, with Aadhaar cards of both parents and the child made mandatory.

The new guidelines set the age limit for pre-primary admission between 3 to 6 years, and for Class 1 between 6 to 7 years. For the first time, a District-Level Implementation and Monitoring Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate, with over a dozen district-level officers as members.

Admission-related disputes will be addressed by a four-member committee headed by the Chief Development Officer (CDO).

Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said, "This initiative of the government will prove to be a milestone in making education accessible to all. No underprivileged child will be deprived of quality education. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure equal opportunities for every section of society."

The scheme benefits children from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes, orphans, destitute children, children of parents suffering from HIV/AIDS or cancer, and children from families with disabilities. Families with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh are also eligible.

Applications will be filed online through the official portal, where schools must upload their available seats. The list of allotted students will be published to maintain transparency. The state government will bear tuition fees, while parents will receive an annual grant of Rs 5,000 directly in their bank accounts to cover the cost of uniforms and books.

To curb malpractices, strict action has been outlined. Parents using fake or forged documents will face legal proceedings. Schools will no longer have unchecked discretion—if any school refuses admission to an allotted child without valid grounds, its recognition may be revoked.

Director General of School Education Kanchan Verma explained that after a child is allotted admission, schools must upload details on the RTE online portal and the UDISE portal to generate a UDISE ID. If this process is not completed, schools will not qualify for reimbursement of fees.

Financial transparency has also been prioritized. Schools will be reimbursed only after bills are 100 percent verified by district officials, including cross-checking registration numbers of students across academic sessions. Block Education Officers will further conduct quarterly on-site inspections to confirm the presence of admitted students.