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The Delhi government has decided to increase the reimbursement amount it pays to private schools for free education of students under the economically weaker section by almost 25 per cent from the upcoming academic session.

According to education department officials, the government will now pay Rs 1,598 per student to private schools towards tuition fee and other expenses for admission under the EWS category. The government, till now, used to reimburse Rs 1,290 for each student.

The decision to increase the amount comes after Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia received complaints from various private schools against “minimal amount” reimbursed by the government to them for allowing students under the EWS category.

According to a senior official, the government presently reimburses a fixed amount to private schools in lieu of admitting students who belong to this section. The amount fixed is the maximum limit. The government reimburses what the school is actually charging from a child or Rs 1,290 - whichever is less.

“The amount was initially fixed on the basis of what the government spends on each student of its schools. Initially the amount was fixed at Rs. 1190 and was later revised. There were, however, numerous complaints about the amount being less,” a senior education department official said.

Under the Right to Education Act (RTE), the private schools must reserve 25 per cent of its seats at the entry level. During the ongoing admission for entry-level classes, the government has allotted over 26,600 seats through computerized draws under the EWS category, an experiment that the Delhi government is doing for the first time.