With the commencement of the approaching academic year just over a month away, the Delhi education department has opened a fresh round of applications for admissions under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) for the ongoing academic session, in compliance with directives from the High Court.

As per the stipulations of the Right to Education Act, 25% of seats in entry-level classes at private schools are earmarked for students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Children with Special Needs (CWSN). Among these, 22% of seats are allocated for EWS admissions, while 3% are reserved for CWSN admissions.

Traditionally, a draw of lots was conducted for over 50,000 of these seats in previous years. However, in the 2021-2022 session, this process was carried out for approximately 33,000 seats. The education department, in an affidavit submitted to the court, revealed receiving 1,26,061 applications for 33,055 seats, with 21,699 students securing admission. It was noted that 2,058 private recognized unaided schools participated, including 1,515 DOE-recognized schools and 543 under municipal corporations.

A petition by the NGO Justice for All in the Delhi High Court highlighted that in the 2020-2021 session, a draw of lots was conducted for 54,000 students, and 30,000 admissions were made. Consequently, 24,000 seats should have been carried over for EWS admissions in the current session.

Normally, the EWS admission process concludes before December 31, and vacant seats are carried over for the next admission cycle. However, the Delhi High Court directed the department to issue a fresh advertisement to prevent wastage of seats.

The education department has now issued a new notice inviting applications, with the deadline for submission set on March 3. The draw of lots is scheduled for March 7. The notification clarifies that candidates who applied earlier but were unsuccessful in the previous draw of lots need not reapply, as their earlier applications will be duly considered for the vacant seats.