Right to Education soon a reality in India

Here is something that I missed to take a look at in the first week of November . The Union Cabinet has cleared the Right to Education Bill in India . The Bill has been referred to the Election Commission considering a number of states are going to assembly polls in the coming days and the introduction of the Bill should not be viewed as creation of a voter bias.

The Right to Education Bill is the enabling legislation to notify the 86th constitutional amendment that gives every child between the age of six and 14 the right to free and compulsory education

Some key features of the Bill

• Free and compulsory education for all children between ages 6 and 14.
• 25% Reservation for children from disadvantaged section in primary unaided schools meaning that the private schools should provide free education to atleast 25% of its available stength especially to those from the disadvantaged sections of the society
• Reimbursement of government to any such expenditure incurred by the schools.
• Prohibition of punishment and detention of students
• Prohibition of screening procedures such as interviews and levy of capitation fees.

It is still unclear if the State has the resources to ensure the succesful implementation of the Bill . But if the Bill is enacted into a law by the parliament it would definitely be a landmark achievement !

A link to the actual text of the act @

http://education.nic.in/elementary/RighttoEducationBill2005.pdf

The story in the Indian Express

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Union-Cabinet-clears-Right-to-Education-Bill/380176/