Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education

Every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. This is stated as per the 86th Constitution Amendment Act via Article 21A. The Right to Education Act seeks to give effect to this amendment.

Features of Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009

• Free and compulsory education to all children of India in the 6 to 14 age group.
• No child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary education.
• Twenty-five per cent reservation for economically disadvantaged communities in admission to Class I in all private schools is to be done.
• Improvement in the quality of education is important.
• School teachers will need an adequate professional degree within five years or else will lose their job.
• School infrastructure (where there is a problem) needs to be improved every 3 years, else recognition will be cancelled.
• Financial burden will be shared between the state and the central government.

Limitations of RTE Act

• The 25% seat reservation for EWS and others in private schools has encountered practical challenges. Discrimination against parents and students' struggles to fit in with a new socio-cultural environment are a few of the obstacles in this regard.
• Instead of raising the standards and results of India's public education system, it blames private schools.
• According to numerous ASER reports, there is no emphasis on learning quality; as a result, the RTE Act seems to be primarily input-oriented.
• RTE statistics are being paid more attention than learning quality. The RTE-mandated pupil-teacher ratio is impacted by a lack of teachers, which in turn impairs the effectiveness of instruction.
• Children under the age of six are not protected under the Act.
• Only children aged 6 to 14 are eligible for the Right to Education; however, this age range could be increased to include children aged 0 to 18 to make it more inclusive and all-encompassing.
• Lack of awareness about the importance of Schooling
• RTE Act has been in operation for more than ten years, it is obvious that much work needs to be done before it can be deemed a success.