Right to Education Act Comes into Force
Nine years after the constitution was amended to make education a Fundamental Right, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 1, declared it in force, citing his own story to emphasize its significance.
The passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 gives every child the right to a quality elementary education.
Main Features
- All children aged 6-14 shall have the right to free and compulsory elementary education at a neighborhood school.
- No direct (school fees) or indirect cost uniforms, textbooks, mid-day meals, transportation need be borne by the child or parents to obtain elementary education.
- The govt. will provide schooling free-of-cost until a child’s elementary education is completed.
- All schools must comply with certain infrastructure and teacher norms. Two trained teachers will be provided for every 60 students at the primary level.
- No child shall be held back expelled or required to pass a board examination till Class VIII.
- There must be 25 per cent reservation for poor children even in private and minority schools.
- There must be one teacher for every 30 students.
- School management committees must include parents’ representatives to monitor school’s functioning.
Nearly 92 lakh children, who had either dropped out of schools or never been to any educational institution, will get elementary education as it will be binding on the part of the local and State governments to ensure that all children in the 6-14 age group get schooling.
As per the Act, private educational institutions should reserve 25 per cent seats for children from the weaker sections of society.
The Centre and the States have agreed to share the financial burden in the ratio of 55:45, while the Finance Commission has given Rs. 25,000 crore to the States for implementing the Act. The Centre has approved an outlay of Rs. 15,000 crore for 2010-2011.
The school management committee or the local authority will identify the dropouts or out-of-school children aged above six and admit them in classes appropriate to their age after giving special training. As per the Act, the schools need to have minimum facilities such as adequate teachers, playground and infrastructure.
To ensure 25 per cent reservation for children from dis- advantaged and weaker sections, schools will have to disclose the lists of children taken in this category as well as ensure that diversity is maintained. The model rules already say that the state governments will undertake household surveys and neighborhood school mapping to ensure that all children are sent to school.
State governments and local bodies will have to establish primary schools within one kilometer of the neighborhood. For children of class VI to VIII, the school should be with three kilometers of the neighborhood. In the absence of a school in small hamlets, the state government shall make adequate arrangement like free transportation and residential facilities.
Constraints
Amount required to implement the Act over the next five years will be Rs. 1.78 lakh crore.
India faces a total shortage of 510,000 teachers.
Government can be sued for not providing free education. 120,000 Elementary schools across the country with only one teacher.
50 per cent dropout rates by class VIII.
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