RTE student aid has been blocked for children at Solaris Public School on Ahmedabad’s Sola Road after the school allegedly failed to upload the required student details to the government portal, according to a report by Nav Gujarat Samay. The Ahmedabad city west District Education Officer (DEO) has issued a show-cause notice to the school’s principal and sought an explanation for the administrative lapse.
Under the Right to Education Act, students admitted through the RTE quota are eligible for annual assistance of ₹3,000 from the state government. The assistance is intended to help families purchase uniforms, shoes, socks and educational materials. The money is transferred directly to the student’s or parent’s bank account after the required details are recorded in the government system.
The report said that more than 80,000 RTE students in schools across eastern and western Ahmedabad had received the assistance for the current year. However, no RTE student studying at Solaris Public School received the payment because the school administration had not entered the students’ details on the government portal.
The issue came to light after the parent of one student filed a written complaint through the Chief Minister’s public grievance portal after the assistance was not credited. The complaint led the Ahmedabad city west DEO office to conduct an inquiry into the school’s records and portal entries.
According to the findings cited in the report, the names of Solaris Public School’s RTE students did not appear in the government system. The report attributed the lapse to the school’s management and principal, who allegedly failed to complete the required data-entry process. Since the students were not listed on the portal, the financial assistance could not be transferred to their accounts.
The DEO notice has asked the school’s principal to appear at the department’s office at 11 am on Monday with the relevant documents and evidence. The notice seeks a clear explanation for why action should not be taken against the school for the irregularity.
The notice, as reported, refers to provisions under the RTE framework that allow for a penalty of ₹10,000 for a first irregularity and ₹25,000 for each subsequent irregularity. The school has been asked to explain why a penalty of ₹10,000 should not be imposed for each affected student. The report did not state the total number of RTE students enrolled at Solaris Public School or whether the assistance will be released after the school submits the pending details.
The DEO office has warned that if the principal does not appear at the appointed time or provide the required explanation, the department may proceed with penal action under the applicable rules. The next step in the matter will depend on the school’s response and the education department’s decision after reviewing the records.
