Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will provide free education to economically weaker students in private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, officials said on Monday. A total of 27,370 students have been selected for enrolment through a central lottery conducted via the RTE Paradarshi portal.
Applications for the first phase of the current academic year were invited through the RTE Paradarshi portal (https://rteparadarshi.odisha.gov.in/odisha) from February 10 to March 10. Officials said 44,777 applications were received for 54,355 seats in 4,438 private schools across the state. After verification of original documents, 35,800 applications were deemed eligible by the Block Education Officers.
The selection of students was carried out through a central lottery under the supervision of the Primary Director via the Paradarshi portal, managed by the Directorate of Elementary Education, Odisha. The list of selected students will now be shared with the respective private schools by the Block Education Officers.
Enrollment in private schools will take place between March 17 and March 31. The government emphasised that the process is completely free, and private schools are not permitted to charge any fees from parents. Authorities warned that legal action will be taken against schools violating this rule.
A dedicated helpline number, 18003456722, has been made available to assist parents and students regarding the enrolment process.
