Tamil Nadu gets pending SSA funds from Centre after court order; RTE admissions from October 9

The long-pending Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds have finally been released by the Union government after the Madras High Court’s direction and Supreme Court notice, paving the way for the Tamil Nadu government to begin RTE admissions for the academic year 2025-26.

The Government of Tamil Nadu has announced the admission dates under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, following the release of pending reimbursement funds by the Centre.

The online registration for RTE admission offering 25% reserved seats in entry-level classes – LKG to Class 1 – in all unaided non-minority private schools across the state will begin on October 9.

Centre releases funds after court orders

The announcement comes after the Union government released Tamil Nadu’s share of RTE reimbursement funds, following the Madras High Court direction and Supreme Court notice.

SSA is funded by both centre and state in a 60:40 ratio. However, the state government had accused the Centre of withholding Rs 342.69 crore, its 60% share, of private school reimbursements for EWS students admitted under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act during the 2021–22 and 2022–23.

The issue began when the Union government linked RTE reimbursement funds, the money owed to states for admitting students eligible under the RTE quota in private schools, to the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

The Tamil Nadu government called it “unfair” and argued that the Centre cannot force the state to implement the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) or make it sign the memorandum for Prime Minister’s Schools of Rising India (PM Shri) scheme.

The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), in its letter dated February 2024, also stated that “SSA funds have been fully aligned with the NEP 2020, effectively making adoption of these policies a condition for continued central funding”.

The state made multiple appeals to the Union government and wrote letters to the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. However, the issue only escalated, following which, the state filed a civil suit in the Supreme Court in May 2025 challenging the Union government’s decision to implement both the policy and PM Shri school schemes without its consent.

The Madras High Court, in its order dated June 10, 2025, directed the central government to consider delinking the RTE component of SSA and disburse funds.

Accordingly, the issue was examined and with the approval of the Hon'ble Education Minister, it was decided to implement the directions of the Hon'ble Madras HC to release funds for the RTE Entitlements Component of Samagra Shiksha.

Also read PM SHRI: Kerala’s V Sivankutty says Rs 953 crore of SSA funds stopped

Approved funds for Tamil Nadu

For the 2024–25 academic year, the Project Approval Board (PAB) approved total Samagra Shiksha expenditure of Rs 3,585.99 crore, with the Union government's share at Rs 2,151.59 crore and the state's at Rs 1,434.39 crore. The RTE component for that year was Rs 622.51 crore, of which Rs 256.17 crore was earmarked for 25% seat reimbursements.

Taking into consideration the expenditure incurred in 2024–25 by the state government, the PAB approved an amount of Rs 604.68 crore under the RTE Entitlements Component of 2024–25, out of which the central share is Rs 362.81 crore.

Besides, an amount of Rs 585.31 crore has been approved for 2025–26 under the RTE Entitlements Component, out of which the central share is Rs 351.18 crore.

Concurrence of IFD has been obtained for the release of Rs 538.39 crore, comprising Rs 362.80 crore for 2024–25 (full central share amount) and Rs 175.59 crore for 2025–26 – 50% of the total central share to be released in two installments.

RTE Admission: Random selection if applications exceed 25%

RTE admissions 2025 will be carried out on a priority basis for children belonging to the following categories: orphans, HIV-affected/infected children, transgender children, children of scavengers, and differently-abled children.

In cases where applications exceed the 25% quota, the government has mandated a transparent random selection process after offering admission to these priority categories.

The state government ordered schools not to collect any tuition fee from students eligible under the RTE Act and asked them to refund any fee already collected within 7 working days.

In addition, it has set up district-level monitoring committees, headed by chief educational officers (CEOs), to oversee the process, and launched a dedicated helpline number and email support for grievance redressal and technical assistance.

The state government reiterated its commitment to ensure the RTE admissions are transparent, equitable, and child-centric.

“The admission under this category for this academic year will be carried out among the children who are already admitted in the entry-level class of the school. A special 10-day online admission window has been scheduled to regularize eligible children already admitted under the RTE quota,” the official statement read.

Tamil Nadu RTE admission 2025 schedule out.