Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has announced the resumption of admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) for the academic year 2025-26, following the release of pending reimbursement funds by the Union government.

In a statement, the School Education Department confirmed that the Centre has released nearly ₹700 crore, enabling the state to reopen the RTE admissions portal. A special 10-day online admission window has been created to regularise eligible children already admitted under the RTE quota.

Key Dates and Process

• Official notification: October 6, 2025
• Principals to upload entry-level seat details by: October 7, 2025
• Application window: October 9–18, 2025
• Final list of eligible children: October 14, 2025

School heads have been directed to identify eligible students, obtain parental consent, and upload details of available RTE quota seats.

Funding and Court Orders

• The reopening follows directives from the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court after the Centre withheld ₹2,151.59 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), citing Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP). The withheld funds had earlier forced the state to suspend RTE admissions.

Priority Categories

• During this admission window, preference will be given to children from vulnerable groups, including those living with HIV, transgender children, and children of sanitation workers.

RTE Guidelines

Under the RTE Act, private unaided schools must reserve 25% of entry-level seats for disadvantaged students. Schools are reimbursed based on either the actual tuition fees or the per-child government spending, whichever is lower. The cost is shared between the Centre (60%) and the state (40%). Any fees collected from RTE beneficiaries must be refunded within seven days.

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