Shillong (Meghalaya), Sep 19: The Meghalaya government has launched a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and dedicated website to effectively implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, ensuring inclusive and equitable education for all children in the state. This initiative aims to provide free and compulsory education to children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups.
The RTE Act mandates private unaided schools to reserve 25% of their seats at the entry level of Class 1 for children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Disadvantaged Groups (DG). The SOP outlines the applicability criteria for schools, student registration, category-wise seat reservation, neighborhood criteria for candidate selection, and norms for fee reimbursement.
According to the guidelines, priority will be given to children residing within a 1 km radius of the school, followed by those living within a 3 km radius, and then those within a 6 km radius in the same block. The government will reimburse fees for students admitted under the RTE quota.
The launch event was held at Raj Bhavan, here, with Governor C.H. Vijayshankar gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. The Governor emphasized Meghalaya’s commitment to inclusive and equitable education for all children, symbolizing the state’s child-first approach in education reforms
