The Right to Education
Bill, 2005
Highlights
of the Bill
- The 86th Constitution Amendment
Act added Article 21A affirming that every child between the age of 6 and
14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. The Right to
Education Bill seeks to give effect to this Amendment.
- The State shall ensure a school
in every child's neighbourhood. Every school
shall conform to certain minimum standards defined in the Bill.
- Government schools shall
provide free education to all admitted children. Private schools shall
admit at least 25% of children from weaker sections; no fee shall be
charged to these children. Screening tests at the time of admission and
capitation fees are prohibited for all children.
- Government schools will be
managed by School Management Committees (SMC),
mostly composed of parents. Teachers will be assigned to a particular
school; there will be no transfers.
- The National Commission for
Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of
elementary education including quality.
Key Issues and
Analysis
- Some experts criticize the Bill
for not implementing the 'common school system' whereas others believe
that even the 25% free seats required of private schools is not
justifiable.
- There is a concern that assigning
teachers to a specific school will affect their chances of promotions and
job security.
- The Bill appears to be
ambiguous on its applicability to schools administered by minorities.
- The Bill needs to provide
greater clarity regarding the rights of children with disabilities and how
these will be implemented.
- There is mixed evidence on the
ability of SMCs in improving quality of schools
and learning outcomes of children.
- This Bill will cost the
exchequer between Rs 3,21,000
crore to Rs 4,36,000 crore over six years in addition to the current
expenditure on education. This is estimated to be an increase of between
1.1% and 1.5% of GDP.
Analysis
& Comments related to Right to Education 2005