Pune: The Right to Education (RTE) 25% admission lottery was conducted online on Monday (February 10), allowing students to randomly select lottery numbers. This year, 3,05,159 applications were received for 1,09,111 seats in 8,863 private schools across Maharashtra.

Pune district recorded the highest number of applications in the state, with 61,673 applications. Notably, Podar School in Katraj received 3,376 applications for just 71 available seats, making it the most sought-after school in the state.

The lottery event was conducted at the Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) auditorium. The process involved students drawing lottery slips in the presence of education officials.

Dignitaries attending the event included State Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh, Director of Primary Education Sharad Gosavi, Director of Education (Planning) Mahesh Palkar, Balbharati Director Krishnakumar Patil, and SCERT Director Rahul Rekhawar.

The selection process follows a computerized system using a genetic algorithm developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The technical process takes three to four days, and the final selection list is expected to be available by Friday (14th) or Saturday (15th). Once finalized, parents of selected students will receive admission confirmation messages on their registered mobile numbers.

State Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh has warned parents about fraudulent agents promising RTE admissions in exchange for money. He emphasized that any such incidents should be reported immediately to education authorities, who will take strict legal action.

Parents are also encouraged to report schools that deny RTE admissions or issue direct "Transfer Certificates" (TC) to students admitted under RTE once they reach ninth grade.