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Right to Education is merely a political slogan; can it be successfully implemented inIndia?

We have joined the club of 135 other countries that similar Right to Education Act. But good

intentions alone do not yield results. And if it is a political move ho!ever !ell"intentioned it !ill

al!ays be suspect. #dealistic people !ill despair about the practicality and cynics !ill dismiss it.

#t$s a lofty goal. Education to all until the age of 1% years. &reation of an egalitarian societythrough education. And to a large e'tent many believe that education can go a long !ay to

address other social issues plaguing this country.

(et$s e'amine the issue a little closely. Article %5 of the &onstitution states )*he +tate shall

endeavour to provide !ithin a period of ten years from the commencement of this &onstitution

for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.,

5- years later our literacy rate hovers around %/ as per 011 census against the !orld average

of 2%/. We still have largest number of illiterates in the !orld. #t too us 5- years to mae the

above provision into a la! 4 Right to Education Act 0-. But for the act to be successful it

should not remain a la! on paper !ith no scope or !ill to implement. #t too us % years 05"

0- before the act could be passed. #n that period many provisions in the act !hich could have

been revolutionary and path breaing !ere diluted due to pressure from various uarters lie

private schools parents from !ell"to"do sections etc. +till the government managed to pass the

la!.

A loo at the logistics reuired to implement the act !ill sho! that !hile the heart !as in the

right place the practicalities seems to have been completely overlooed. Education is on the

concurrent list meaning both centre and states can legislate. 6o!ever most states lac the

means to push through universal education. #t is clear that the centre !ill have to subsidi7e the

states heavily for it to get a modicum of success. #t has been estimated that !e !ill need

appro'imately 05 crores over the ne't 5 years to implement this across the country9oreover the se!ed nature of our literacy rates social parameters lie birth rate gender ratio

:;< etc. maes the implementation of R*E also uneven. #mportant parameters lie student"

teacher ratio infrastructure access to schools in rural areas " all seem to have been ignored.

9any have pointed out that R*E !as too hastily drafted and passed. *he criticisms have been

uite strong !ith some even stating that )it$s a fraud on our children. #t gives neither free

education nor compulsory education., All staeholders !ere not ept in the loop and in the

process there are more opponents than proponents. #t has also been mired in many controversies

and legal tangles. 9any schools tried to pass on the burden of the additional cost to parents !ho

vehemently opposed it. R*E is also seen to be aggravating the already dismal private"

government school divide. #t does not address the abysmal uality of education in governmentschools !hich is compounded by mismanagement absenteeism acute shortage of infrastructure

and sta= to run these schools.

As of no! it has been a very tardy progress. A!areness is lo! resistance sti= and clarity dim.

+ome heart !arming ne!s lie the rag picers in r the la!yer in Andhra

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