Right To Education Act 2009

By

Mrinal seal

Application ID: 000160 Enrolment no: 132500020137

I: Background

INDIAINDIASome Basic Facts

• Area:

• Population (2001):

• Literacy (2001):

3.2 million sq kms

1.03 billion (16% of world’s population).

64.8 percent

CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION

According to latest estimates, some 3.5 million elementary school children still not in school

Wide disparities in the educational status of different regions

Out of school children are from socially marginalized groups, especially girls, working children, children of very poor families, and children in difficult circumstances

Drop out rates at elementary level as high as 51 percent; rising to 62 percent at secondary level

47 percent children in Class 5 are unable to read a Class 2 text

II: Programmes and Initiatives

INDIAN AGENCIES IN EDUCATION

ECCE & Gender Equality – Ministry of Women &

Child Development

Elementary Education Dept of School

Education

Adult Education & Literacy

Youth and Adolescents – Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs

SCHOOL INITIATIVES: ECCE

Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS), covering 54 million children in the 0-6 year age group

Provides a mix of 6 services: supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check up, referral services, pre school education and nutrition and health education

USD 2 billion allocated in Budget 2009-10

SCHOOL INITIATIVES: DPEP

Preceded by the Bihar Education Project (UNICEF), Lok Jumbish (SIDA), Shiksha Karmi Project (SIDA), UP Basic Education Project

Launched in 1994 to universalise access and retention, to improve learning achievements and to reduce social gaps

District-based, with a focus on community involvement, combined with institutional capacity improvement

At its peak, in 273 districts in 18 States Among other achievements (infrastructure, etc),

succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of education

SCHOOL INITIATIVES: SSA

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), national flagship programme for UEE, launched in 2001

Covers 210 million children, 1 million schools and nearly 4 million teachers

Annual expenditure on the programme approximately USD 3.5 billion; overall expenditure on elementary education USD 25 billion

180,000 new school buildings, 700,000 additional classrooms, 230,000 new toilets and 170,000 drinking water facilities provided so far

SCHOOL INITIATIVES: MDM

Launched in 1995 to provide a meal to all primary school children

World’s largest school feeding programme, covering 112 million children in 950,000 schools

Has resulted in improving retention, reducing drop out rates and improving nutritional status of children

2009-10 budget outlay USD 2 billion

SCHOOL INITIATIVES: SECONDARY EDUCATION

93 million children estimated to be in the 14-18 year age group

Only 33 million enrolled in secondary institutions

Two thirds out of school

Current spending on secondary education USD 1 billion per annum

Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, a programme for universalising access to secondary education launched in 2008

PROGRAMMES FOR GIRLS

Special schemes targeted at girls, apart from focus on girls in general schemes Kasturba Gandhi Ballika Vidyalaya (KGBV) National Programme for the Education of Girls at the

Elementary Level (NPEGEL) Mahila Samakhya

Removal of gender (and other) disparities at the primary levels (I-V) by 2007, and elementary (I-VIII) level by 2010

Comprehensive plan for adolescents, especially girls, in the Tenth Five Year Plan

According to UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report 2006, India achieved gender parity at elementary level in 2005

III: The Right to Education

WHY A RIGHT TO EDUCATION?

Right to Education linked to a fundamental debate at the time of writing the Constitution

As beyond a certain age all persons get their right to vote they should have such education to make their proper choice for the advancement of our country

Art 45 introduced as a compromise “The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years

from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years” (emphasis added)

BASIC CONCEPTS

“Compulsory Education” defined as the obligation of the State to take all necessary steps to ensure that every child participates in, and completes Elementary Education

“Free Education” defined as freedom from liability to (i) pay any fee to the school, and (ii) incur such other prescribed expenses as may be likely to prevent the child from participating in and completing Elementary Education

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE

Responsibilities at various levels (Centre, State, local authority) spelt out

State to make available a neighbourhood school, which fulfils prescribed norms, for every child within three years

Regular monitoring and taking all necessary steps including removal of all barriers (social, economic, academic, physical, etc), so that every child completes Elementary Education