Surat: The Right to Education Act has sparked administrative action after a child was mistakenly admitted to a school located 9 kilometers away, far beyond the permissible distance under RTE norms. The issue came to light after the parents from the Begumpura area discovered that the school allocated during admission was much farther than the 1.2 kilometers shown on the admission portal.
The District Education Officer, Bhagirath Parmar, acknowledged the error and has issued a notice to the responsible CRC ( Cluster Resource Centre) coordinator. He stated that the student would have been admitted to a nearby school before the start of the third admission round. This action follows a complaint by the parent when they physically visited the school, only to find the real distance was far greater than expected.
Initially, the portal reflected the school being just 1.25 kilometres away, but in reality, it was over 9 kilometres from the child’s residence. The situation caused concern as it violated the Right to Education guidelines, which require that students be placed in schools within a reasonable distance from their homes.
The CRC coordinator responsible for the incorrect data has been identified, and a departmental notice has been issued. The DEO emphasised that such negligence will not be tolerated. The student will be placed in a nearby school according to the Right to Education norms during the next allocation round. The authorities have reassured that the child will be enrolled in a legitimate and nearby school soon.
