Chandigarh, Aug. 15 -- Amid complaints of admissions being denied in the absence of clear guidelines, the Punjab government on Thursday finally issued the standard operating procedure for admitting children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups to private unaided schools under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The guidelines issued by the school education department to 'streamline the admission process' under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act have laid down the applicability criteria for schools, eligibility conditions for students, category-wise seat reservation, neighbourhood criteria for candidate school mapping, and norms for fee reimbursement. According to these guidelines, all private unaided schools, except minority schools, shall admit children belonging to EWS and disadvantaged groups in nursery or LKG or UKG or Class I, whichever is the entry level class of the school, to the extent of at least 25% of the total seats as mandated by the RTE Act. Children belonging to weaker sections (family income below Rs.8 lakh per annum), Scheduled Caste (no income limit), and backward class or other backward class (non-creamy layer), war widows' children, and destitute parents' children will be eligible for these seats. The government has sub-classified the 25% seats, reserving 12.5% for EWS category children, 5% for SC children, 5% for BC/OBC children, and 1.25% each for war widows' children and destitute parents' children. The order stated that 25% of seats would be calculated based on the total admissions in the entry-level class during the previous academic year. For newly registered schools, 25% seats would be calculated on the basis of the approved class strength. The SOP has come almost six months after the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered all private unaided schools in Punjab to reserve 25% of their Class 1 seats for children from such backgrounds. The HC, in its February 19 order, also directed the state government to ensure strict enforcement of the ruling in the 2025-26 session. However, there were repeated complaints that private unaided schools were refusing or delaying admissions to children, citing the absence of any guidelines on eligibility criteria, selection and admission procedures, and free reimbursement. Social activist and former IAS officer Jagmohan Singh Raju, on whose PIL the high court passed the February 19 order, filed a contempt petition last month alleging violation of the court's directions whereby the court ordered the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) provisions by private schools in the state. On August 11, the high court sought a comprehensive affidavit from the school education department. "These guidelines are just the first step. These should have come much earlier. The real work starts now, as a lot still needs to be done. The government needs to ensure private schools notify the seats as per the provisions and give wide publicity to create awareness among the eligible beneficiaries," said Raju, who has filed PILs and nearly 100 RTI applications on this issue. Another social activist, Onkar Nath, a former additional deputy comptroller and auditor general, welcomed the guidelines. "We just received the government order and need to study the SOP thoroughly before offering any comments," he said. According to the guidelines, children residing within a one-kilometre radius of the school will receive first priority for draw/admissions, and children residing within a radius of 3 km of the school will get second preference. Thereafter, in the case of unfilled vacancies, the applicants residing beyond 3km but within a 6km radius will be considered. The school transportation cost will be borne by the parents or guardians. "The school shall receive fee reimbursement for the expenditure incurred by the school to the extent of per-child expenditure as determined by the Government of Punjab, or the actual school fee, whichever is less. Detailed guidelines in this regard shall be issued later," it said. Punjab was among the four states that did not reserve seats in private schools under the RTE Act, 2009. In 2011, the then-Punjab government framed the Punjab RTE Rules by making a provision that children from the economically weaker and disadvantaged categories must first seek admission in government schools. They can approach unaided schools for admission only after getting a no-objection certificate from government schools on the grounds of non-availability of seats or other reasons, it said. In its February 2025 order, the high court declared Rule 7(4) of the Punjab RTE Rules, 2011, as contrary to Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009. "It is settled by the principles of interpretation of statute that in case of conflict between statutory rules and the Act, the Act prevails," the court ruled. Following the court ruling, the state cabinet also decided to remove Rule 7(4) of the Punjab RTE Rules, 2011....