AP Govt launches online portal to facilitate school admissions

The Principal Secretary of School of Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) had notified the opening of the online portal for facilitating admissions under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act (RTE) on 26th February 2023. This recent government order mandates the allotment of 25% of seats in Class I of all Private Unaided Schools, including IB/ICSE/CBSE/State syllabus schools in the state, and admissions under it have begun for the year from today.

This initiative is aimed at promoting socially inclusive access to education for all children in the state, irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds. Implementation of this education policy has been challenging, but the A.P. Government hopes to address key issues by leveraging technology to ease the administrative burden. The RTE Section 12(1)(c) admissions were initiated in AP from the academic year 2022-23 onwards and are in their second year of implementation. This announcement is regarding starting the admission process for the academic year of 2023-24.

Enabling the process of RTE 12(1)(c) admissions online is in line with the Government's track record of adeptly using technology for seamless access to other welfare initiatives. Indus Action partnered with the government to support its digital approach and eliminate any difficulties both for parents and government officials during the admissions cycle using its experience of implementation of Section 12(1)(c) both in offline and online formats in 19 other states.

Spokespersons from Indus Action, who were involved in extending support through policy, governance,



technology, and community engagement, expressed their thoughts on the launch milestone.

Ra Shhiva, Lawyer and Public Partnerships, Indus Action, commented that, "Section 12(1)(c) RTE Act in A.P. is a work in progress. It is the A.P. government's due recognition of the worldwide expectation of a future progressive society that is fair, inclusive, and egalitarian."

"Having grown up in Andhra Pradesh, I genuinely feel that Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, 2009 is a wonderful step for parents and children in terms of access to their choice of school and for improving social inclusion. Through my work with Indus Action, I am trying to ensure maximum applications so that marginalized communities can benefit greatly from this programme," said Siva Karthik Valaparla, Lead Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Indus Action.

The applications for admissions in private schools under RTE 12(1)(c) will be open from 22nd March to 10th April in A.P. The applications can also be submitted online at Village and Ward Secretariats for free. For applying and learning about eligibility criteria and other guidelines for applications please call the helpline number 14417 or go to: cse.ap.gov.in.

Indus Action is a New Delhi-based public policy 'do-tank' that builds civic-tech solutions and mobilizes communities to enable policy implementation. Its mission is to help vulnerable families in India get sustainable access to legislated rights, including education, healthcare, and social security. Their vision is to lift 1 million+ vulnerable families out of poverty by 2025.