Right To Education

Has The Battle Against The Private Institutions Been Won

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The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 as well as Article 21-A were inserted in the Constitution of India through the Constitution( Eighty- Sixth Amendment) Act, 2002. This milestone became operational on the 1st April, 2010. The Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the Nation proclaimed, “Right to Education Act will realize the dreams of many children across the nation…This demonstrates our national commitment to education of children and to the future of India. Education is the key to progress.

It empowers the individuals. If we nurture our children through right to education then India’s future is secured.” The Right to Education Act had been anchored in the belief that availability of equal educational opportunities to children belonging to different social and economic background will reinforce the idea of equality enshrined in our constitution, and ensure that children are not discriminated on the basis of social or economic background. The Right to Education Act entitles every child with the right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essentials norms and standards. The Act most importantly provided right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school. Further it clarified that ‘compulsory education’ means the obligation of the appropriate governments to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.