Analysis of Right to Education

I decided to write this blog on the various aspects of Right to education. What are the important points of RTE? How will it effect the economy? and what are the challenges in implementing it? Will it really benefit the people for whom it is brought into action or it will just create a perception of good governance or a welfare state or it is just a political agenda. I will discuss all the points in this blog using my limited knowledge.



First I will list the main features of RTE:
1. Free and compulsory education to all children of India in the 6 to 14 years age group
2. No child should be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education
3. No child shall be denied admission in a school for lack of age proof
4. Provides for 25 percent reservation for economically disadvantaged students in
admission to Class One in all private schools
5. As per the new law the schools need to have certain minimum facilities like adequate teachers(fixed student- teacher ratio), play ground, toilets etc

I liked the 5th point most wherein it stated that there must be play ground in a school. Because I used to play Volley-ball till 10th class then I took admission in a school which did not have a playground and only I know how did I spend those two years?

My mother is a sports teacher in a govt girls' senior secondary school and there is no playground in her school. For the preparation of games she takes the student in other school. I do not how would govt ensure playground in her school because there is no space for it.

How RTE will effect the economy:
As it has been given that RTE will ensure adequate number of teachers(fix student- teachers) ratio that is 30 : 1. Which will require 5 lac new teachers and it create 5 lac new job opportunities.
Also RTE will ensure certain minimum level of infrastructure in all the schools like adequate
number of rooms and toilets. Improving infrastructure will also create jobs for many.
Hence RTE will also boost economy and will create many job opportunities.

Challenges in Implementing RTE:
There are various problems in implementing RTE
1. Different states have different minimum age of enrolling in school. In some it is less than 6. So first all the states need to change the minimum age of enrolling in school according to RTE.
2. How would government make sure that the student studying in private schools under 25% reservation belong to economically disadvantaged category.
3. It would be very challenging for the government to make sure that no discrimination takes place with students studying under 25% reservation category.
4. For me it is hard to believe that govt can ensure the same treatment with these(25%) students by the teachers and more importantly by the rest 75% students.
I strongly believe that in all the private schools two types of groups will be formed among the reserved (25%) and not reserved(75%). Which will create lot of tension for the school management(which is already in tension because of this 25% reservation for economically disadvantaged students).
5. Imposing 25% reservation in the private schools will create frustration among the management of private schools . Some have already appealed in supreme court. When govt schools are providing free education what is the need to reserve 25% seats. All the economically disadvantaged students can read in govt schools or does it indicate that govt does not believe in its own organizations?

Though there are lot of challenges in the implementation of RTE and to some it will be only a perception of good governance. It will be hardly a political agenda because the poor in India are more concerned about the food prices than educating their children. But India is a big country and there are many children who do not have access to elementary education. Hopefully they will be benefited by RTE.

I regret sometimes and think that I should have studied in an English medium school. But there were no English medium schools in my area at that time. Access to education is really important but the even more important thing is access to quality education. Now when somebody asks me whether he/she should teach his/her child in an English medium school or a Hindi medium school. I say there is no point in teaching in a Hindi medium school(I may be exaggerating). When we need English medium schools all over the India(in my opinion) govt is still struggling with elementary education. We as a nation are not keeping pace with the changing scenario.

I will edit this blog once I go to my village and get some pictures showing the infrastructure of schools.