A total of 2,091 students have secured admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Coimbatore district for 2026-27 academic year. However, 1,332 seats earmarked under the scheme remain vacant, largely due to the one-km distance criterion prescribed under the admission rules.Online applications for RTE admissions were accepted from April 20 to May 18. In Coimbatore, 3,423 seats were available under the 25% RTE quota at 330 private schools. A total of 2,662 applications were received, and eligible students were selected following verification of documents.The list of selected students has been displayed on the notice boards of the respective schools.Parents have pointed out that the one-kilometre distance rule is a major reason for the large number of vacant seats. Under the existing guidelines, a child is eligible for admission only if the school is located within a one-kilometre radius of the child’s residence. Many applications are rejected despite vacancies being available in nearby schools that fall outside this limit.It is to be noted that States such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra allow admissions from a wider radius of two to three kilometres when seats remain vacant. Published - June 03, 2026 07:16 pm IST