Mumbai has recorded 10,397 applications for Right to Education (RTE) admissions as of March 31, down from 13,166 last year. For the 2026-27 academic year, 325 schools have registered, compared to 338 in 2024-25 and 351 in 2021-22. The number of available seats has also marginally reduced from 6053 to 6030 over the past year.
Norm confusion
Officials attribute the dip in applications to changes in RTE norms. Earlier, the education department limited applications to schools within a 1-km radius. However, the high court stayed this decision, restoring the 3-km eligibility range.
“We have widely informed parents how to ‘unconfirm’ and resubmit applications as per revised norms, but many may not have completed the process. As the scheme is free, we also urged parents to apply directly via the website or BMC-run help centres instead of using agents,” said Deputy Education Officer Nisar Khan.
Seat mismatch
Despite high application numbers, many RTE seats remain unfilled due to uneven preferences.
Most parents opt for a handful of popular schools with limited seats, while institutions offering other mediums or less preferred options see vacancies.
Additionally, seats go vacant when applicants do not meet the age criteria set by schools.
