Free 25% seats in private schools (RTE Act)
Whether Telangana now runs admissions to the free 25% seats in private schools under section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act (the official orders set out no admissions process), and what you can do now.
About this guidePending verification
Published on 12-11-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
For whom: Parents of children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups who want a free seat in a private school.
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Sources: 3
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- Do this now
We found no notification or application portal for admissions to these 25% seats in Telangana.
The latest order we read, G.O.Rt.No.170 (17.10.2025), only set up a committee to work out how much the government should pay private schools for each child in these seats; it did not announce an admissions process. Ask at your Mandal Educational Officer (MEO) or District Educational Officer (DEO) office whether there will be 12(1)(c) admissions for the coming academic year. Do not pay anyone who offers to get you such a seat: under the Act the seat is free.
Not confirmed
Telangana's School Education website (schooledu.telangana.gov.in) did not open on 2 November 2026, and the Government Orders register does not hold every order. So an announcement made only on that website may have been missed.
Sources: 1, 2, 3
- Do this now
What you can do now: every child aged 6 to 14 can study free in a nearby government school (section 12(1)(a)).
No school may take a capitation fee for admission or put the child or parents through a test or interview (section 13). Admission may not be refused for lack of age proof (section 14), and a child who comes in the middle of the year must be admitted (section 15).
Sources: 3
If something goes wrong
If it is rejectedIf a government school refuses admission, or any school asks for a capitation fee or an admission test, give a written complaint to the local authority under section 32 of the RTE Act; it must decide within three months.
If a government school refuses admission, or any school asks for a capitation fee or an admission test, give a written complaint to the local authority under section 32 of the RTE Act; it must decide within three months. Keep a copy of the complaint and get a receipt for it. If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The local authority (municipal corporation or municipality, zilla parishad or panchayat); a copy at the MEO or DEO office
Sources: 3
If it is lateIf there is no decision within three months, complain through CM Prajavani (online), or at the Prajavani in your Collectorate (the Hyderabad Collectorate holds it on Mondays; ask your Collectorate for its day); these complaints go to the District Collector or the head of the department.
If there is no decision within three months, complain through CM Prajavani (online), or at the Prajavani in your Collectorate (the Hyderabad Collectorate holds it on Mondays; ask your Collectorate for its day); these complaints go to the District Collector or the head of the department.
Prajavani (Collectorate; CM Prajavani)
Sources: 3, 4
If you are asked for more moneyA school that takes a capitation fee for admission can be fined up to ten times that fee, and one that screens children up to ₹25,000 the first time (section 13).
A school that takes a capitation fee for admission can be fined up to ten times that fee, and one that screens children up to ₹25,000 the first time (section 13). If this happens, complain in writing to the local authority under section 32 of the Act, or through Prajavani. The Act names the local authority as the municipal corporation or municipality, the zilla parishad or the panchayat, or another body with administrative control over the school. We have not confirmed which office Telangana's rules name to take these complaints; you can also give a copy at the MEO or DEO office and ask them to send it to the right office.
Prajavani (Collectorate; CM Prajavani)
Sources: 3, 4
Related guides
The 4 official pages and papers this guide is written from
- G.O.Rt.No.170: constitution of a State Level Committee for deciding per child expenditure for implementation of 12(1)(c) as per Rule 10(3) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010School Education (Genl.I) Department, Government of Telangana, Order: a committee (Finance, Education, the Director of School Education / State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, a private school managements' association, two NGOs) to assess per child expenditure for reimbursement on implementation of 12(1)(c); found in the Government Orders register (School Education, subject search) (17-10-2025) · read on 11-11-2026
- Telangana Government Order Issue Register (GOIR): search of School Education ordersInformation Technology, Electronics and Communications Department, Government of Telangana, Searches on 2 November 2026, department School Education: subject '12(1)' (one order, G.O.Rt.No.170 of 17.10.2025); subject 'Compulsory' (RTE orders; none on admissions under 12(1)(c)); year 2026 (seven orders, none on RTE) · read on 02-11-2026
- The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (No. 35 of 2009), Gazette of IndiaMinistry of Law and Justice, Government of India (copy on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights website), Sections 2(h) (what the local authority is), 12(1)(a) and (c), 13 (no capitation fee or screening; fines), 14 (no denial of admission for lack of age proof), 15 (admission after the extended period), 32 (written complaint to the local authority, decided within three months; appeal to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights); a scanned copy read by OCR (27-08-2009) · read on 02-11-2026
- Prajavani at Praja Bhavan, effective Grievance Redressal SystemCentre for Good Governance, Government of Telangana, Project brief (grievances routed to District Collectors or department heads; direct submission by citizens); roll-out table (CM Prajavani online application from 23 January 2024; Collectorate Monday sessions) · read on 02-11-2026