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Development of Education System

Notes The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has been mandated to
monitor the implementation of this historic Right. A special Division within NCPCR will
undertake this huge and important task in the coming months and years. A special toll free
helpline to register complaints will be set up by NCPCR for this purpose. NCPCR welcomes
the formal notification of this Act and looks forward to playing an active role in ensuring its
successful implementation.
NCPCR also invites all civil society groups, students, teachers, administrators, artists, writers,
government personnel, legislators, members of the judiciary and all other stakeholders to join
hands and work together to build a movement to ensure that every child of this country is in
school and enabled to get at least 8 years of quality education.
Benefits of Right to Education Act, 2009
RTE has been a part of the directive principles of the State Policy under Article 45 of the
Constitution, which is part of Chapter 4 of the Constitution. And rights in Chapter 4 are not
enforceable. For the first time in the history of India we have made this right enforceable by
putting it in Chapter 3 of the Constitution as Article 21. This entitles children to have the right
to education enforced as a fundamental right.
Self Assessment
1. Fill in the blanks :
(i) ...................... provides for free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six
to fourteen years.
(ii) The RTE act provides for .................. reservation for economically disadvantaged
communities in admission to class one in all private schools.
(iii) According to RTE act, a child who completes elementary education shall be awarded
a .................... .
(iv) No child shall be denied admission for want of .................... under this act.

19.3 Goals and Objectives of Right to Education, 2009

Objectives of Right to Education Act, 2009:
(i) Access: Universal enrolment of all children, including girls and persons belonging to
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; Provision of primary school for all children within
one kilometer of walking distance and of facility of non-formal education; and
Improvement of ratio of primary to upper primary school to at least 1:2.
(ii) Retention: Reduction of dropout rates between Classes I to V and I to VIII to 20 and 40 per
cent respectively; and Improvement of school facilities by revamped Operation Blackboard,
to be extended to upper primary level also.
(iii) Achievement: Achievement of minimum levels of learning by approximately all children
at the primary level, and introduction of this concept at the middle stage on a large scale.
(iv) Monitoring: Local level committee, with due representation to women and teachers, to
assist in the working of primary education to oversee its functioning; and Improvement of
the monitoring system for universalisation of elementary education.

19.4 Situation after RTE Act, 2009

Out-of-School Children: The number of out-of-school children has declined from 25 million in
2003 to 8.1 million in mid-2009. The most significant improvements have been in Bihar,
Jharkhand, Manipur and Chhattisgarh. The percentage of out-of-school children in highly
populated states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar remains a cause of concern.
Social Inclusion: Although there have been significant improvements in the proportion of children
from socially disadvantaged groups in school, persistence gaps remain. Girls are still less likely

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