Delhi: Over 55,000 seats allotted to EWS, DG, CWSN students after drawing lots

Over 55,000 seats were allotted for entry-level admissions in private unaided recognised schools in Delhi under the Economically Weaker Section, Disadvantaged Group, and Children With Special Needs categories for the 2026-27 academic session, as the Directorate of Education conducted a computerised draw of lots on Monday.

According to a notified schedule, scrutiny of documents for selected candidates will be carried out by zonal authorities between April 9 and 22, while admissions in allotted schools will take place from April 9 to May 20.

The draw, held at the Old Secretariat in the presence of parents and other stakeholders, was aimed at ensuring transparency in the admission process, officials said.

According to the Delhi government, a total of 55,701 seats were on offer this year, including 48,092 under the EWS/DG category and 7,609 under the CWSN category — an increase of 5,185 seats compared to the previous academic session.

The number of schools participating in the process was also increased from 2,219 last year to 2,308 this year, the officials said.

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said the government is committed to providing equitable access to quality education through a fair and transparent system.

He said the DoE received 1,39,524 applications this year, of which 1,38,536 applications under the EWS/DG category were found complete. In the CWSN category, complete applications rose to 988.

Sood said technological improvements, including NIC-developed software and Aadhaar-based verification, were used to eliminate duplicate and erroneous applications, ensuring that benefits reach genuine applicants.

He added that school allotments were made immediately after the draw and that document verification will now be conducted digitally, reducing the need for parents to visit schools multiple times. The next stage of the admission process will begin within the next three days.

Referring to past data, the minister said that during the 2024-25 academic session, over 2.4 lakh applications were received, of which more than one lakh were found to be duplicates or multiple entries.

Sood said the decline in the number of applications in the current cycle reflects increasing preference among parents for government schools following the opening of CM Shri Schools.

In case of discrepancies in applications, candidates will be issued a deficiency memo and allowed to submit valid documents by May 2. A final opportunity for non-reported candidates to appear for verification will be provided between April 23 and April 28, the guidelines read.

The DoE said a reasoned order will be issued by the zonal authority after verification, with an appeal mechanism available before the District Admission Monitoring Committee between May 7 and May 12. Subsequent draws will be conducted for vacant seats, if required, it added.