RTE lottery selects 14,403 students, Chhattisgarh private schools to shut on Apr 18 in protest

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh govt on Wednesday allotted 14,403 seats under the Right to Education (RTE) Act through an online lottery, triggering a fresh standoff with private schools that have refused admissions and announced a statewide shutdown on April 18.The lottery was conducted in the presence of chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior education department officials, marking the next phase of admissions for economically weaker and disadvantaged groups under the Act.The private school management association has been protesting since March 1 and has announced that schools will not admit RTE students allotted through the lottery. It has demanded that the govt make public the per-student expenditure in govt schools to revise reimbursement rates, which have remained unchanged since 2011.According to official data, 38,439 applications were received against 21,975 seats this year. Of these, 27,203 were found eligible while 11,236 were rejected. From the eligible pool, 14,403 students were allotted seats through the online draw, excluding CM DAV schools where separate offline lotteries will be held.Raipur recorded the highest number of selections (2,606), followed by Bilaspur (1,509) and Durg (1,059).

Officials said some seats remained vacant as several schools were either not preferred by applicants or fell lower in their choice lists.Currently, more than 3.63 lakh students in the state are benefiting from RTE.For the academic year 2026–27, the state govt has increased the fee reimbursement amount under this scheme to Rs 300 crore, enabling more children to benefit and strengthening the admission process in private schools, officials said. The entire admission process is being conducted through digital means, ensuring transparency and technology-driven execution at every stage—from application to document verification and final selection. Parents can apply either independently or through choice centres. As per eligibility, children in the age group of 5.5 to 6.5 years are being admitted to Class I, with priority given to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Divyang (children with special abilities), and other disadvantaged groups.

In schools where seats remain vacant, an offline lottery will be conducted at the district level, the details of which will be made available on the RTE portal.However, the exercise has triggered a fresh confrontation with private school operators. The Chhattisgarh private school management association has announced a symbolic protest on April 17, with teachers wearing black bands, followed by a statewide shutdown of private schools on April 18.Under the RTE Act, 25% seats in entry-level classes of private unaided schools are reserved for children from economically weaker sections, with the state reimbursing schools based on per-child expenditure in government schools. Private schools have long demanded a revision of reimbursement rates, which they say have remained unchanged since 2011, leading to financial strain.The state govt has maintained that the admission process has been conducted in a transparent manner and further rounds will be carried out to fill remaining seats.