Date:01/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110160441200.htm

National

Cabinet clears Right to Education Bill

Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: After several hiccups, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the introduction of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill (RTE), 2008, in the current session of Parliament. The Bill is the enabling legislation that seeks to operationalise the Fundamental Right to Education enacted in December 2002.

In the absence of this enabling legislation, the Fundamental Right has not been notified even six years after it secured presidential assent. The RTE Bill has seen various incarnations – a couple of them during the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance rule – and the Cabinet clearance this time comes after a group of ministers gave its approval.

The RTE, according to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, is for systemic reform as access to elementary education has grown significantly through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – the mission mode exercise to universalise elementary education.

It will ensure access to education for children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, rational deployment of teachers to ensure that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings, appointment of appropriately trained teachers, and norms and standards for schools vis-À-vis buildings, pupil-teacher ratio, school working days and teacher working hours are some of the systemic reforms that the RTE seeks to usher in.

It also prohibits physical punishment, screening procedures for admission of children, capitation fees, expulsion or detention of a child, and deployment of teachers for non-educational purposes other than census, election duty and disaster relief. Capitation fee, screening of parents or students, and running a school without recognition will attract penal action.

Besides, the Bill makes it mandatory for private unaided schools to set aside 25 per cent of their seats in Class I for disadvantaged children from the neighbourhood. The government will reimburse expenditure incurred by such schools.

With the Model Code of Conduct in place, the Ministry secured clearance from the Election Commission on October 15 for introduction of this much-awaited draft legislation in the current session of Parliament.