Age: The child will have to be either 6 years of age if the school starts from class 1 or younger if the school offers pre-primary education.
Eligibility: Make sure that the child is eligible in the category of 'disadvantaged group' or ‘weaker section’ in the neighbourhood of the selected school. For more details see the eligibility section, across states/union territories listed in the side-bar on the left
Neighbourhood: Check that the child’s residence falls in the neighbourhood of the selected school i.e. preferably within 1 km or upto 3 kms (please refer to state-specific norms) of the school
Certificates: Each application needs to be accompanied by several certificates or documents. See the paperwork requirements in each location
Application: Apply to more than one school in the neighbourhood to improve the chances of the child being selected.
No Fees: Free education means that no registration fee, including cost of the prospectus, tuition fee or any other charges or funds can be charged. Free education means that various costs will have to be met by the schools and reimbursed by the government especially textbooks, uniforms, etc.
No Screening: Schools are forbidden to interview or counsel the guardians or the child, or to administer a written or oral test of any kind
Application Submission: Please prepare and provide the necessary application and other supporting documents required by schools, on time.
Complaints: All grievances should normally be first addressed to the school authorities and School Management Committees, and attempted to be settled there. The next step is to send a written complaint to the local authority which has jurisdiction. If the matter is not resolved, the matter can be referred to the State or National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights. Finally, citizens have recourse to the courts (civil courts, High Court or even the Supreme Court) as education is a justiciable right for children in the age group 6-14 years.
[Source: Inspired by ARC]