In Navi Mumbai, a total of 2,682 parents have logged in to enroll their children for free education for the academic year 2024-25 under the Right to Education Act (RTE). However, only 465 of them have completed and submitted their applications online.

The education department has issued an appeal urging parents to fill out the application forms for the weak, deprived, educationally, and socially backward classes under RTE. Initially set from April 16th to 30th, the deadline for filling out online application forms has now been extended until May 10th.

Navi Mumbai boasts 138 schools registered under RTE, and more than 2,600 schools across Thane district will provide free admission to over 43,000 students. Despite numerous schools registering from nursery, admission under RTE is granted from the first grade onwards, leaving nursery and KG students ineligible.

This year, dissatisfaction among parents arises from the delayed start of the RTE admission process and changes in admission criteria. Many parents have abandoned their applications halfway through due to the requirement of selecting government or aided schools near their residence, without the option of choosing a private school. Consequently, while over 2,500 parents have logged in, only 465 have ultimately submitted applications.

Furthermore, the new criteria exclude parents whose homes are not within 1 to 3 km of a government school, denying them the choice of a nearby private school. This limitation results in the inability of parents to secure admission for their children in private schools despite their proximity.