the issues relating to rte implementation and...

THE ISSUES RELATING TO RTE IMPLEMENTATION

AND CHALLENGES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION

By

ISHITA GADDIPATI

Register No. 1326207

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Jacqueline Kareem

Assistant Professor

School Of Education

Christ University, Bengaluru-560029

2015

i

APPROVAL SHEET

The Dissertation entitled “The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation and

Challenges: A Qualitative Study” by Ishita Gaddipati is approved for the

degree of Master of Arts in Education.

Examiners: Name Signature

1. _____________________

_____________________

2. _____________________

_____________________

HOD:

Date:

Place:

ii

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that dissertation titled “The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation

and Challenges: A Qualitative Study”, completed by Ishita Gaddipati (Register

Number 1326207) is a work towards the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

Degree in Master of Arts in Education, Christ University, for the academic year 2013-

2015 under my supervision and guidance.

Place: Bangalore Dr. Jacqueline Kareem

Date: School of Education

Christ University

Bangalore: 560029

iii

DECLARATION

I do hereby declare that this study titled, “The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation

and Challenges: A Qualitative Study” has been undertaken by me in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Education, Christ University. I

have completed the work under the guidance of Dr. Jacqueline Kareem, School of

Education, Christ University, Bangalore.

I also declare that this work has not been submitted before by me or by anyone else

for any purpose either in this University or in any other University.

Place: Bangalore Ishita Gaddipati

Master of Arts in Education

Date: Reg. No. 1326207

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I take this opportunity to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher and

guide Dr. Jacqueline Kareem who gave me constant support and encouragement to do

this project. She took upon herself the role of a friend, mentor, teacher and guide and

helped me complete my dissertation.

I express my sincere thanks to Dr. Jose Cherian, HOD of School of Education, Christ

University, Bangalore, for his guidance and support throughout my master degree

pursuance.

I also take this opportunity to express a heart filled thanks to Dr. Samson R. Victor,

Dr. Greta D’Souza, Prof. Prakasha.G.S and Dr. Sumitha Rao, the faculties of school

of education, for their constant encouragement, warm support and guidance as well as

valuable information they have given which helped me in completing this study

through various stages.

I'd like to thank Dr. Dakshayini Khanna for being very supportive and helpful

throughout my research period. Her support and input was very valuable. I would also

like to thank Anay Nangalia for helping me gather information pertaining to my topic

which was not easily available.

Lastly, I thank my family and my friends for their constant encouragement without

which this dissertation would not be possible.

Ishita Gaddipati

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Approval Sheet i

Certificate ii

Declaration iii

Acknowledgment iv

Chapter I

Introduction

1.1 Background 1

1.2 The Right to Education Act (RTE) 3

1.3 Need and Significance of this Study 4

1.4 Statement of Problem 7

1.5 Objectives of the Study 7

1.6 Resume of Succeeding Chapters 8

Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

2.1 Introduction 9

2.2 Review of Articles in Journals on RTE 9

2.3 Review of Articles in Newspapers on RTE 13

Chapter III

Methodology

3.1 Introduction 15

3.2 Statement of Problem 15

3.3 Operational Definition 15

3.4 Sampling Procedures 16

3.4.1 Population 16

3.4.2 Sample of the Study 16

3.4.3 Selection of the Sample 16

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3.5 Tools of the Study 16

3.6 Validation of the Tool 18

3.7 Methodology of Study 18

3.8 Statistical analysis 19

Chapter IV

Data Analyses and Interpretation

4.1 Introduction 20

4.2 Interview Responses and Interpretation for Management

Representatives 21

4.3 Interview Responses and Interpretation for Teachers 27

4.4 Interview Responses and Interpretation for Parents 33

4.5 Interview Responses and interpretation for Children 39

Chapter V

Summary and Conclusion

5.1 Introduction 44

5.2 Need for the Study 45

5.3 Statement of the Problem 48

5.4 Objectives of the Study 48

5.5 Research Methodology 48

5.6 Findings of the Study 49

5.6.1 Section 1: Findings from the study on the awareness

level of the stakeholders 49

5.6.2 Section 2: Findings from the study on the benefits of

the RTE policy 50

5.6.3 Section 3: Findings from the study on the challenges

faced by the stakeholders 53

5.6.4 Section 4: Findings from the study on the views of the

stakeholders 56

5.7 Educational Implications 57

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5.8 Delimitations of the Study 58

5.9 Suggestions for Further Studies 58

5.10 Conclusion 59

Bibliography 60

Annexure 62

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LIST OF TABLES

.

Table No Title Page No

Table 4.1 Indicating the categorized responses of the management

representatives

21

Table 4.2 Indicating the categorized responses of the teachers 27

Table 4.3 Indicating the categorized responses of parents of the RTE children 33

Table 4.4 Indicating the categorized responses of the RTE children 39

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LIST OF GRAPHS

Figure

No

Title Page No

Figure 4.1

Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the

management representatives.

21

Figure 4.2 Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the teachers 27

Figure 4.3

Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the parents of

the RTE children.

33

Figure 4.4 Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the RTE

children

39

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

Since time immemorial, education in India has been an exclusive right of higher caste

people or the elite class of the society and was limited only to a small section of

society. Though there were compulsory education laws during British rule, not much

of progress was made in this direction as British government did have any need to

implement this strictly. After independence, Article 45 of the newly framed

Constitution stated that “the State shall endeavor to provide within a period of 10

years from the commencement of the Constitution, free and compulsory education to

all children until they complete the age of 14 years." Even then, there was not much

of progress that was expected to happen. In 1968, National Policy on Education was

framed which spoke about Indian government's commitment towards elementary

education and National policy of education of 1986 and 1990 recommended to

include RTE as a fundamental right in Indian constitution. Based on this

recommendation, National policy on Education 1992 was formulated. India also

signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in 1992 and started the

process of adopting legislation to make education a fundamental right of the child.

The passing of the act which enables Children to get Free and Compulsory Education

in 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India’s

history, children will be guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the

state with the help of families and communities.

"After almost 50 years of Independence and countless committees policy makers

realized what it required to make universal elementary education a reality. It required

not just allocation of resources and Centre-State co-ordination, but also a clear cut

mandate. India had failed in what most other countries had managed to achieve

because there was no compulsion of any on the state machinery to actually effectuate

something like elementary education. Though Centre-State coordination was taking

place for years together, India's masses remained illiterate because no agency could be

hauled up for the dismal state of education. International Declarations had always

stressed on the ‘compulsory’ aspect of education, because they knew that unless

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people were forced to act nothing would result out of policy papers. Therefore, in

1997 the Saikia Committee, consisting of State Education Ministers, came up with

their suggestions of amending the Constitution to make Elementary education a

fundamental right." (Niranjanaradhya VP)

India is divided into twenty nine states and seven Union Territories. The states have

their own elected governments while the Union Territories are ruled directly by the

Government of India, with the President of India appointing an administrator for each

Union Territory. Education in India is placed in the concurrent list. That is, school

education policies and programmes are made by the the central government and the

state governments.

There is a national organization that plays a key role in developing policies and

programmes, called the National Council for Educational Research and Training

(NCERT) that prepares a National Curriculum Framework. Each state has its

counterpart called the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

These are the bodies that essentially propose educational strategies, curricula,

pedagogical schemes and evaluation methodologies to the states' departments of

education. The SCERTs generally follow guidelines established by the NCERT.

The National Policy on Education, 1986 and the Programme of Action 1992

envisaged free and compulsory education of satisfactory quality for all children below

14 years before the 21st Century. The government committed to earmark 6% of the

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for education, half of which would be spent on

primary education. The expenditure on Education as a percentage of GDP also rose

from 0.7 per cent in 1951-52 to about 3.6 per cent in 1997-98.

To know development in a society, Literacy is another proper indicator of economic

development. As per Population Census of India 2011, the Literacy rate of India has

shown as improvement of almost 9 percent. It has gone up to 74.04% in 2011 from

65.38% in 2001, thus showing an increase of 9 percent in the last 10 years. It consists

of male literacy rate 82.14% and female literacy rate is 65.46%. Kerala with 93.9%

literacy rate is the top state in India. Lakshadweep and Mizoram are at second and

third position with 92.3% and 91.06% literacy rate respectively. Bihar with 63.08%

literacy rate is the last in terms of literacy rate in India. (Census of India)

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As per the 2011 census, Karnataka had a literacy rate of 75.60%, with 82.85% of

males and 68.13% of females in the state being literate. In 2001 the literacy rate of the

state were 67.04%, with 76.29% of males and 57.45% of females being literate. The

state is home to some of the premier educational and research institutions of India

such as the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institute of Management,

the National Institute of Technology Karnataka and the National Law School of India

University.

In March 2006, Karnataka had 54,529 primary schools with 252,875 teachers and

8.495 million students and 9498 secondary schools with 92,287 teachers and 1.384

million students. There are three kinds of schools in the state: government-run, private

aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and private unaided (no financial

aid is provided). The primary languages of instruction in most schools are Kannada

and English.

1.2 THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION ACT (RTE)

The Right to Education Act (RTE), is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted on 4

August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and

compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of

the Indian Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a

fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April, 2010. The

enforcement of this right is a joint responsibility of the state and the centre to provide

free and compulsory education. Free and compulsory education means that," All

children between the ages of 6 and 14 shall have the right to free and compulsory

elementary education at a neighborhood school. There is no direct (school fees) or

indirect cost (uniforms, textbooks, mid-day meals, transportation) to be borne by the

child or the parents to obtain elementary education. The government will provide

schooling free-of-cost until a child’s elementary education is completed." (UNICEF,

India)

Though there were differences in the implementation policies of different states, there

was a general consensus on the need to implement the same centre became serious

about the implementation in 2012. State governments were forced to implement the

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same in all the public aided / unaided schools without fail. The right to free and

compulsory education has proven to be a big challenge to the nation. The

implementation will not be effective unless all the agencies involved work together to

achieve the ultimate goal to universalizing education. It has been 4 years since the Act

was passed and there is still a long road that lies ahead. Not many people are still fully

aware of this Act and its provisions.

This Act serves as a building block to ensure that every child has his or her right (as a

right) to get a good quality elementary education and the State with the help of

families and communities, fulfil the what the act aims at achieving. The key features

of the Act are that it makes education a fundamental right of every child between the

age of 6 to 14. It requires all private schools to reserve 25% of seats to children who

belong to disadvantaged groups and weaker section of the society and provide free

and compulsory education till its completion (the money spent on the children is to be

reimbursed by the state as part of the public-private partnership plan). All schools

except private unaided schools are to be managed by School Management

Committees with 75 per cent parents and guardians as members. All schools except

government schools are required to be recognized by meeting specified norms and

standards within 3 years to avoid closure.

In this research the focus is on the 25% reservation in private schools for the

disadvantages groups and weaker sections of the society. It studies the benefits,

challenges and feasibility of the reservation.

1.3 NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY

According to the Indian sages and saints of the past, education is that which liberates

man from all bondages. It helps in self-realization and brings out the best in a person.

Education is essential for democracy, for improving productivity, for increasing

economic growth, for bringing out desirable changes in the society and for national

development. Promotion of education is important for individual and social well

being. Keeping all these factors in mind, the government made education a right of

every child. The RTE act came into place to ensure that every child gets an education

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and is not deprived of it because of the lack of economic resources or the presence of

a disability. Though the intentions of the act and policy is impeccable, it becomes

necessary to understand the practical difficulties faced by all the stakeholders on

ground and the feasibility of this clause . The main focus in this research is the 25%

reservation quota in private schools for disadvantaged children and children from

weaker sections of the society.

Education in India is now under heavy strain. The national scenario is characterized

by the growing illiteracy, unabated dropout rates in elementary education and high

absenteeism. The government chose the public-private partnership as it could not

cater to the large population of the country by itself. This suddenly became a burden

of private schools. They had to undertake this responsibility upon them as the

government could not handle the situation all by themselves.

When we look at the Act's reservation just as another member of the society it sounds

all pleasing and looks like it will change the face of education in the country and the

children are going to come out of this with flying colors. When you look closely at the

way the act functions, you begin to doubt its credibility. Yes this act is helping

children get an education but to what extent are they actually learning the content

prescribed by the boards in schools they go to. They can move on from one grade to

another even if they fail to pass in the examinations. There are chances for schools to

ignore their academic progress which will result in namesake education and not a real

education.

The free education in private schools is only from 6 to 14 years of age. After 14 years,

which will be 8th grade, the children either have to pay fees, dropout of school or join

in a government school. This puts pressure on children who want to continue studying

but their parents cannot afford it. The RTE children join in the school in the 1st

standard and go on till the 8th standard. They may not have the same background as

the other children in the classroom which will be a drawback or a barrier for their

learning. They will not be able to cope with the class like their peers and may be

disoriented. This will lead to disinterest of the child. Actual learning of the content

prescribed by the board may not be happening.

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Language barrier is another issue faced by the students and teachers. The medium of

instruction for most private schools is English. Children coming from disadvantaged

and weaker sections of the society may not even know the language. Unless the

teachers in class know their native language they might have trouble communicating.

The lessons are taught in English. If children do not know the language, how will they

learn anything. They will have trouble comprehending the lessons and as a result

cannot perform well in examinations. This may lead them to seeking external help

which may need the parents to spend extra money.

These children who enroll in private schools may not come from a stable education

and economic background. Their children might even be the first ones in the family to

receive an education. When they need help doing homework, to study for exams or

clearing doubts outside school, it will be problem. They do not have anyone in their

house to help them and seek external help. They enroll in tuitions to keep up with the

classes. Children as young as 6 and 7 years attend tuitions because they need external

help in coping with the class. When the Act looks at helping the disadvantaged groups

and weaker sections, this proves to be a drawback for them.

The income line for which parents can enroll their children under the 25% reservation

is 3,60,000 rupees. This income line is too high. There are many people who are way

below the present qualifying income line. They need the seats as they cannot afford it

anywhere else. The people who love in the prescribed radius and have enough money

to enroll elsewhere will take the opportunity instead of the people who are way below

the line. Opportunity for the weaker sections is again largely reduced.

There is a high scope for malpractice in this Act. People get low income certificates

by paying a bribe and get free education for their children even though they can afford

it. This way people who actually need the seat lose out on the opportunity. Some

parents even pay bribe to schools and other officials to get the free seat instead of

another child in the school they desire. With all the malpractice people who need the

help are still being deprived of it and people who can afford it take all the benefits

from the act.

The reimbursement based on per child expenditure in government schools may lead to

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schools to raise their fees to overcome the increased expenses which will in turn be a

burden on the parents of the non quota students.

The information collected becomes very significant as we can have deep insights into

the status of achievement of goals by implementation of the act. It also provides a

provision to analyze status of implementation of RTE, awareness and understanding

of the provisions of RTE amongst management, teachers and parents of children

studying private schools and the challenges each stakeholder is facing. Through this

study we will know if the Act is helping the children actually or it is a failed attempt.

It also helps us to understand how much of real awareness exists as a whole - a parent

being aware of their rights, management and teachers awareness, attitude and

accountability and make all of them take an active role in the enforcement of steps

necessary for the implementation of this act resulting in reaching the very goal of this

act.

1.4 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation and Challenges- A Qualitative Study.

This study explores the 25% reservation quota in private schools for disadvantaged

children and children from weaker sections of the society. It tries to understand the

benefits and challenges of the policy.

1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To check the awareness levels among teachers, parents, children and school

management.

2. To explore and report the views of stake holders on the RTE's reservation

policy.

3. To understand the various methods and approaches for the implementation of

the provision.

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4. To understand the key challenges, benefits and the feasibility of the 25%

reservation in private schools.

5. To find remedial measures to benefit the children more from the provision.

6. To give suggestions for the effectiveness of the Act.

1.6 RESUME OF SUCCEEDING CHAPTERS

This study has been divided into five parts, which is presented as chapters. The first

chapter deals with the background and introduction to the problem, current scenario ,

need for the study, statement of the problem and objectives of the study. The second

chapter is the review of related literature for the present study. The third chapter

includes operational definitions, sampling procedure, tools of the study, methodology

and statistical analysis of the present study. The fourth chapter deals with the analysis

and interpretation of data. In the fifth chapter, findings and conclusions of the study

are presented; a brief summary and suggestion for future research are also given in

this chapter.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The review of literature studied by the researcher for this study has been taken from

two sources: journals and newspapers. The first section is the review of articles in

journals on RTE and the second section is review of articles in newspapers on RTE.

The studies have been analyzed by keeping in mind the objectives and need of the

study in order to strengthen the rationale of the present research.

2.2 REVIEW OF ARTICLES IN JOURNALS ON RTE

Madire.Mahanandi (2014): In the implementation of the RTE act, 2009, the role of

the teacher is indispensable. The awareness among teachers is important. This paper

deals with measuring of awareness among teachers. For this purpose a sample of 50

primary school teachers were selected by the investigator from 10 schools of the

Mahaboob Nager District. Out of the 50 teachers, 30 were from government schools

and 20 were from private schools. Among these 25 were male and 25 were female

teachers. A descriptive survey method was adopted for the study and collecting the

data required. This study reveals that female teachers are more aware of the RTE Act

than the male teachers and the Government school teachers were more aware than the

private school teachers. Another finding was that the awareness of the RTE Act was

high among those teachers who attended more number of training programs on the

RTE Act.

The author says that the headmasters and teachers need to be oriented on RTE- the

objectives and provisions. The teacher might be the able to fulfill the goal of free and

compulsory education.

Vendhan.R (2014): Education is the backbone of a nation. It is the key to national

human resource development. An intelligent society will always invest in quality

education for its children. Though the government has provided free and compulsory

education, the quality of this education in government schools is poor. The families

10

which can afford are availing education from private institutions. Now government

schools have become the caterers of the poor or lower middle class families. The

children in government schools can hardly dream of joining the class four cadres in

the public or private sector. So the government is squarely responsible for creating an

unjust society.

So we need a system that focuses on quality education that allows children to develop

and grow in supporting and nurturing school environments. It should help the child

become confident, have a good self esteem, willing to strive forward and feel a sense

of responsibility towards the community.

Kalyani.K (2014): The passing of the RTE Act in 2009 marks a historic moment for

the children of India. This act serves as a building block to ensure that every child has

his or her right to get a quality elementary education and they can fulfill this

obligation with the help of the state, families and community. This paper focuses on

the implementation of the RTE Act and the challenges ahead in its effective

implementation. All children between the age of 6 to 14 shall have the right to free

and compulsory education in a neighborhood school. No direct or indirect fees to be

borne by the parents. The government takes responsibility to provide the child a free

of cost elementary education. RTE provides a ripe platform to reach the unreached,

with specific provisions for the disadvantaged groups. The RTE focuses on the quality

of teaching and learning, which requires accelerated efforts and substantial reforms as

well. The RTE act faces a number of challenges in its implementation, especially

availability of trained teachers, setting up of neighborhood schools, cooperation from

the private sector of schools, establishment of required infrastructure and authentic

screening procedure for admission.

In order to meet the challenges it is necessary for all the stakeholders to work with full

dedication and commitment. Not just the centre and state government, the nation as a

whole should take responsibility in this regard. There should be greater coordination

among the agencies involved. Community participation and support makes a marked

difference in achieving the goal.

Irfan Ali. Abbas(2014): the focus of the paper is centered around on the role of

private schools under the RTE Act. It examines the validity of the provisions

imposing an obligation on the private schools and the interpretation of the courts on

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the said aspect and the dichotomy between the state responsibility and private

autonomy. Conclusion is drawn signifying that for effective implementation of the

reservation in private schools there is a need to ensure a fair selection process, a leak

proof payment mechanism and a transparent monitoring and evaluation system. The

government needs to put a strict and effective monitoring and implementation system

in place in order to make the 25% be useful for the disadvantaged groups.

Fathima.Sk (2014): Quality education includes provision of adequate facilities,

adequate number of qualified teachers, curriculum pedagogy, learning outcomes,

evaluation and the formation of school management committees to monitor the

functioning of the schools. The fundamental goal of RTE act is to ensure that our

schools are equipped with the necessary human, physical and financial resources to

enroll all children and enable them to complete their elementary education.

This paper focuses that RTE Act. Though deserves all due credit for laying down the

specific terms related to state's responsibility towards education, it would be

appropriate to examine the status and awareness on the part of schools and school

management committee in improving the quality of education, how school

management committee actualize the intent of RTE Act and how to ensure well

formed trained school management committee to provide free elementary education to

children between the age of 6 to 14.

It is essential for all stakeholders to be aware of the Act and its provisions to bring

about the necessary change. The community, parents and management should play an

active role in improving the school.

Karunakar. Reddy(2014): the paper begins with introduction, historical

perspectives, outlines and salient features of the RTE Act. It throws light on the

problems while implementation of the RTE Act and suggests ways to overcome them

through School management Committees, monitoring systems, quality education and

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. He addresses issues related to the infrastructure facilities,

budget allocation, 25% reservation of seats in private schools and quality education.

Ravi Babu.M (2014): Community is a part of the society and education is the

counterpart of both the above mentioned elements. School is the social institution

where consciously designed learning experiences are provided with objectives of

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achieving a social aim at large. School has to functionally coordinate with its

immediate environment, the community in which it is situated. The community is

meant to employ a wider grouping of people located within fairly recognizable

boundaries and related to each other by socio economic and civic activities which

produce oneness among them to develop a recognizable identity as a group. The main

group and agents involved in the dynamics of the relationship between school and

community are: school, administration, teachers, non-teaching staff, students and

parents, governing bodies and school board. This paper discusses the role of

community in implementing right to education. Community is a potential educational

force which both administrator and teacher must realize. They should not work in

subordination to it but should understand and work with it.

Rajendra prasad et al(2014): In the recent years, higher education became free and

compulsory. Many state governments introduced RTE scheme called fee

reimbursement. This paper explores the RTE issues, challenges, particularly in higher

education and also presents feasible implications for fee reimbursement. It provides

possible recommendations, further scope of investigation and for urgent intervention

by the government to strengthen and pursue the secure operational steps for value

based education.

Deepthi.T (2014): According to the constitution of India, education is a fundamental

right of a child. The right person in the society to implement the RTE Act effectively

is the teacher. The RTE Act though deserves the due credit for laying down in fairly

specific terms teacher's responsibility towards education, it would be appropriate to

examine the status and awareness on the part of schools and the concerned authority

to provide free and compulsory education. This paper intends to explore the status of

the implementation, awareness and understanding of the provisions of the RTE among

parents, teachers and children and also the issues and challenges before the teacher to

implement it.

In order to meet the challenges, the nation should come together as whole and work

together to overcome these challenges. There should be a great level of coordination

among the different agencies involved in this act.

Abdul Fareed(2014): The author looks into deeper issues which affect the

13

implementation of the RTE Act. He says that simply using the Act as a legal

instrument to initiate action against institutions or individuals that are perceived as

responsible for failure to implement the provisions of the act, will not really address

the issues of illiteracy and lack of educational opportunity. A multi-dimensional

approach is required to address the problems which lie in various areas.

2.3 REVIEW OF ARTICLES IN NEWSPAPERS ON RTE

Ramya M (2014): Four years after the Right to Education Act was enacted in India,

discrimination remains a major factor affecting access to education for children from

marginalized communities, says a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Research for the report was conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh,

Haryana and Delhi. HRW volunteers interviewed 160 people, including 85 children,

45 parents and 32 school staff comprising teachers and school principals. The report

quotes the principal of the UP school as saying that the tribal children were a "big

problem". The report said such discriminatory behavior contributes to increased

truancy. Several children in a dalit neighborhood in Bihar said they did not go to

school regularly because they felt unwelcome. The report also added that weak

implementation of education policies is encouraging child labor.

Mohamed Imranullah (2013): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory

Education (RTE) Act 2009 stipulates that private schools reserve 25 per cent of seats

at the entry level for children belonging to ‘disadvantaged groups’ and ‘weaker

sections’. This article talks about whether this Act is working out in practice and

whether it is benefiting the intended group of people. It also looks at the awareness

level among people and their representation. The pros and cons of the RTE act were

discussed using the interview technique.

Abhishek Choudhari (2015): The state school education ministry has decided to

start the process of online admissions for the 25% quota under Right To Education

(RTE) act in Nagpur division from February 9. In the first phase, schools coming

under RTE will register online and enter the number of available seats. In the second

phase, likely to start by February 23, parents can start filling applications online.

Actual admission process will start in March.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Abhishek-Choudhari.cms

14

Pavan M (2015): this article talks about how the parents applying for the RTE seat

via online media are being looted. While one of the purposes of the RTE Act is to

save poor parents from paying private schools through the nose, someone else is fast

emptying their wallets. Taking advantage of the online RTE application system

launched by the government this year, internet cafes are making a fast buck from

those wanting to submit the application. They are allegedly charging anywhere

between Rs 200 and Rs 300 for submitting application forms on the education

department's website. Aspirants of RTE quota seats mostly come from poor families,

with little knowledge of computer or an internet connection at home, and that's where

they are being exploited.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the terms and concepts have been operationally defined. The study is

designed to investigate the status of the implementation of the RTE Act with regard

to the 25% reservation for weak and disadvantaged sections of the society in private

schools. It also analyzes the advantages, benefits, loopholes and pain points of

management, teachers, children and parents.


The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation and Challenges- A Qualitative Study




3.3 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

School management: Will include the staff who run and manage the school. School

management is the combination of the different administrators and their roles in the

operation of a school. The part (people) of the school which is behind the planning,

organizing, staffing, leading/directing, and controlling/ monitoring of the school and

its activities.

Teachers: The teaching staff of the school who are responsible for imparting

knowledge to the students. The ones who teach the subjects to their students without

any discrimination and partiality.

Parents: The parents of those children who admitted their children in private schools

on the basis of the 25% reservation for the disadvantaged and weaker sections of the

society

Children: The children who got admission in the school based on the 25% reservation

provision made the government through the RTE Act.

The RTE Act: An unaided school not receiving any kind of aid or grants to meet its

expenses from the appropriate Government or the local authority; shall admit in class

16

1 to the extent of at least twenty-five per cent of the strength of that class, children

belonging to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighborhood.

Disadvantaged groups: Orphans, HIV affected and disabled = 5%

SC = 10%

ST = 4%

Weaker sections which includes Backward Castes, Minorities, OCs (whose annual

income does not exceed Rs. 60,000/- per annum) = 6%

The above arrangement of reservation in sequential order is applicable to private

schools in plain areas. Where orphans, HIV affected and disabled are not available

or available only to a certain extent such vacancies will be filled by STs and SCs.

After exhausting all applications for admission of Orphans, HIV affected and

disabled, SC and ST if any seats remain unfilled such seats will be added to the

percentage of weaker sections.

3.4 SAMPLING PROCEDURE

3.4.1 Population

The target population of the study is Management and teachers of private schools,

parents of RTE children and RTE children in private schools in the city of Bengaluru.

3.4.2 Sample of the Study

The researcher conducted an interview on all the stake holders namely management

staff, teachers, parents and students. The total sample size is 100 members, which

includes 30 parents, 30 students, 20 teachers and 20 management staff.

3.4.3 Selection of the Sample

The sample for this study was picked across 15 schools from different parts of

Bengaluru. Simple random sampling method was used to pick the sample.

3.5 TOOLS USED IN THE STUDY

The researcher prepared an interview schedule for each stakeholder. This was

validated by three professionals.

17

The main points on which the interview schedule was planned are as follows:

Parent's context:

Awareness level regarding act.

Approaching schools for their rights.

Expectations from schools which have enrolled their kids.

Problems that their children face and the kind of support they need to give

them to cope up with the new environment.

Management's context:

Pressures faced by managements from education department.

On what basis does the school admit a child.

What are the documents or proofs that have to be submitted by the parents for

the admission process.

Managing parents who have come from weaker section - managing their

awareness, expectations etc.,

Making teachers aware of the responsibility and make them accountable for

the success of these children.

Managing economic implications created by these admissions.

Teacher's context:

Managing children who have no basic education and those who cannot

communicate properly (cannot speak English).

Hygiene, behavioral and stress related issues.

Home assignments without the help of anyone at home.

Communication such as emails/ SMS and related issues

Language issues while talking to the parents.

Ensuring a homogenous classroom environment and differential teaching

methods.

Remedial help.

18

Student's context:

Children may not be able to understand teachers mode of communication.

Settling down with children of an upper socio-economic strata than them and

not having feeling inferior.

No help from parents for any home based work. No outside literate help.

Not able to have all the luxuries in terms of possessions, spending.

Communication between friends as a whole.

The questions of the interview schedule for each of the stakeholders is attached at the

end of the file.

3.6 VALIDATION OF THE TOOL

The interview schedule was prepared by the researcher and given to three prominent

members in the field of education, namely- Dr. Dakshayini Khanna, principal of

Harvest International School, Mrs. Manjula Mathews, principal of Treamis World

School and Mr. Ram Prasad, chairman of Harvest International School. They went

through the schedule and made the necessary changes.

Eighty questions were prepared by the researcher and sent for validation. In that thirty

one questions were removed because they were repetitive in nature. Eight questions

were modified and eleven questions were added. After validation by the experts the

total number of questions were sixty, fifteen questions for each stakeholder.

3.7 METHODOLOGY OF STUDY

This is a descriptive study and the data for the study was collected using interview

schedules. The research includes collection of data from 8 schools in Bangalore in the

form of interviews. The interviews were conducted with all the stake holders namely

management staff, teachers, parents and students. The total sample size is 100

members, which includes 30 parents, 30 students, 20 teachers and 20 management

staff.

19

The interview questions were sent to three prominent people in the field of education

to check the relevance of the questions in the schedule. Dr. Dakshayini Khanna,

principal of Harvest International School, Mrs. Manjula Mathews, principal of

Treamis World School and Mr. Ram Prasad, chairman of Harvest International

School went through the questions. They made a few corrections and changed a few

questions according to what they felt is more relevant pertaining to the topic. All the

interview schedules have 15 questions each so that the interview does not become too

lengthy. It focused on asking questions pertaining to the need for the study.

For the purpose of interpretation, the responses given by the subjects have been

categorized into three items i.e, yes, no and not sure. This was done in order to

analyze the data easily and more effectively. The responses of the subjects have been

represented in the form of graphs for better understanding.

3.8 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Descriptive Statistics: Percentage analysis for the responses given by the stakeholders.

20

CHAPTER IV

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The researcher categorized the interview responses of the stakeholders into three

options to make the analysis easy. The data analysis and interpretation is divided into

four sections, each section discusses one stakeholder.

The data analysis is divided into 4 sections:

Section-1: Interview Responses And Interpretation For Management

Representatives

Section-2: Interview Responses And Interpretation For Teachers

Section-3: Interview Responses And Interpretation For Parents

Section-4: Interview Responses And Interpretation For Children

21

4.2 INTERVIEW RESPONSES AND INTERPRETATION FOR

MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVES

Table 4.1: Indicating the categorized responses of the management

representatives.

Sl.No Yes No Not Sure

1 0 45 55

2 35 30 35

3 15 50 35

4 55 25 20

5 75 0 25

6 80 0 20

7 75 0 35

8 5 35 60

9 30 40 30

10 5 85 10

11 0 60 40

12 15 50 35

13 25 25 50

14 5 50 45

15 0 45 55

Figure 4.1: Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the management

representatives.

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Re

spo

nse

s in

Pe

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Questions

yes

no

not sure

22

Question 1: Do you think that a developing country like India can afford the

infrastructure required to implement the RTE in its true spirit?

Question 2: Since RTE children come from weaker sections, how willing are parents

to forgo their children's earning to make them study in schools? Are they willing to

take the risk?

Question 3: Do you think that the 25% reservation in private schools is justified?

Question 4: Do you think that RTE quota in private school is being utilized effectively

by parents? Do you find that many of them drop out after a year or a few months?

Question 5: Do you think that school and the teachers will be able to treat the RTE

students exactly as other students even if you intend to?

Question 6: Do you think that you will be able to give the same infrastructural

facilities to the RTE children?

Question 7: Are you able to sensitize the school employees that they need to give their

100% to ensure that these children come up to the mark?

Question 8: Do you think the RTE children have a complex which affects them in

whatever they do?

Question 9: Do you find communication with RTE parents easy?

Question 10: Have you had instances that RTE parents' behavior has affected your

regular parents/ teachers?

Question 11: Do you feel that the current method of RTE seat allotment is justified?

Question 12: Given an option, would you like to adopt a government school rather

than having RTE children in the regular class ?

Question 13: Do you feel that there is no differentiation between other children and

RTE children in the class? Are they able to manage with ease?

Question 14: Have you observed any socio-economic factor causing problems in

school environment for RTE children?

Question 15: As a management person, do you think this reservation policy is helpful

to the in bringing 100% literacy?

23

Responses to question 1:

Fifty five percent of the subjects are not sure about 100% implementation of the act in

its true spirit.

Forty five percent of the subjects think that our country cannot afford the

infrastructure required to implement the act in its true spirit.

None of the subjects think that our country can afford the infrastructure required to

implement the act.


Thirty five percent of the subjects believe that parents are ready to forgo the earnings

brought to home by the children for the purpose of education..

Thirty percent of the subjects believe that there are parents who will not forgo their

children's earning and send them to schools.

Thirty five percent of the subjects are not sure whether the parents will forgo the

children's earnings..


Fifty percent of the subjects think that the reservation policy in private schools is not

justified.

Thirty five percent of the subjects are not sure about the reservation policy in private

schools.

Fifteen percent subjects think that the 25% reservation is justified as the people

belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups also deserve quality education

and this is a small step to achieve bigger goals.


Fifty five percent of the subjects believe that parents are effectively utilizing the RTE

quota. Parents realize the importance of education and make an effort in sending in

their children to school.

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that parents are not utilizing the quota

effectively because they rely on their children's earning for a living and some parents

do not believe in education.

Twenty percent of the subjects are not sure about parents effectively utilizing the act's

provision. Awareness plays a key role.

24


Seventy five percent of the subjects think that the school and teachers will treat the

RTE quota kids exactly as other students and not indulge in discrimination.

Twenty five percent of the subjects are not sure whether the school and the teachers

will treat the RTE quota children in par with the other students.


Eighty percent of the subjects think that the facilities are common and provided to all

students.

Twenty percent are not sure whether they can give the same infrastructural facilities to

the RTE children as they may not know hot use it and cause damage.

None of the subjects think that the facilities are not common and provided to the RTE

students.


Seventy percent of the subjects agree that they have been able to sensitize the school

employees that they give their 100% to ensure that these children come up to the

mark.

Thirty percent of the subjects are not sure whether the teachers and school employees

are fully sensitized to ensure that the children come up to mark.


Sixty percent of the subjects are not sure whether RTE children have a complex which

affects them in whatever they do.

Thirty five percent of the subjects think that the RTE children do not have a complex

which may affect them in everything they do.

Five percent of the subjects think that they develop a complex which affects them in

everything they do.


Forty percent of the subjects find it difficult to communicate with the parents of RTE

children.

Thirty percent of the subjects find it easy to communicate with parents of RTE

children.

25

Thirty percent of the subjects do not find it easy or difficult to communicate with the

RTE parents.


Eight five percent of the subjects did not have any instances where the behavior of the

RTE parents affected the regular parents or teachers.

Ten percent of the subjects have had instances with the RTE parents but it was minute

and did not affect the regular parents or teachers.

Five percent of the subjects have had instances with RTE parents whose behavior

affected regular parents or teachers.


Sixty percent of the subjects feel that the current method of RTE seat allotment is not

justified.

Forty percent are not sure whether the seat allotment is justified.


Fifty percent of the subjects prefer having RTE children in the regular class than

adopting a government school.

Thirty five percent of the subjects are not sure about whether they would like to adopt

government school or have RTE children in regular classrooms.

Fifteen percent of the subjects prefer adopting government schools rather than having

RTE children in regular classes.


Fifty percent of the subjects cannot say for sure whether there is no differentiation

between RTE children and other children..

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that there is no differentiation between other

children and RTE children.

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that there is a differentiation between RTE

children and other children and they may not cope with the others in class which

makes it difficult to manage in class.

26


Fifty percent of the subjects have not observed any socio-economic factors causing

problems in school environment for RTE children.

Forty five percent of the subjects have observed socio economic factors causing

problems in school environment for RTE children but it was not specific to them.

Five percent of the subjects have seen that socio-economic factors cause problems in

the school environment for RTE children.


Fifty five percent of the subjects think that this step will help in partly achieving

100% literacy but cannot be the only mean.

Forty five percent of the subjects do not think that the 25% reservation policy in

private schools is helpful to bring 100% literacy.

27

4.3 INTERVIEW RESPONSES AND INTERPRETATION FOR TEACHERS

Table 4.2: Indicating the categorized responses of the teachers.

Figure 4.2: Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the teachers.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Re

spo

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s in

Pe

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nta

ge

Questions

yes

no

not sure


1 5 80 15

2 75 10 15

3 25 40 35

4 15 50 35

5 25 65 10

6 25 60 15

7 5 90 5

8 95 5 0

9 10 80 10

10 10 80 10

11 25 60 15

12 10 75 15

13 50 15 35

14 65 15 20

15 10 60 30

28

Question 1: Do you think that a developing country like India can afford the

infrastructure required to implement the RTE in its true spirit?

Question 2: Has the school sensitized the teachers/employees towards inclusiveness?

Question 3: Will you be able to recognize the issues that may arise and deal with them

confidently and effectively?

Question 4: Would it be possible for a teacher to teach the group of students with

different academic and social levels in the same classroom?

Question 5: Do you think that the School and the teachers will be able to treat RTE

students exactly as others?

Question 6: Is it possible for you to take extra classes / remedial or tuitions afterschool

/before school hours to bring these children up to the level of others in class?

Question 7: Is it fair to put a grade 1 student in the regular class without any prior

knowledge just because of his age according to RTE rules?

Question 8: RTE addresses the education of ages 6-14 years. Do you feel that their

preschool education will be a major concern?

Question 9: Do you find communication with RTE parents easy?

Question 10: Can RTE children communicate easily with you and their classmates

and are they open and happy?

Question 11: Do they submit their assignments regularly and the quality of

assignments are good?

Question 12: Are the RTE children able to understand what is being taught in class?

Are they able to manage with ease?

Question 13: Do you feel that there is no differentiation between other children and

RTE children in the classroom?

Question 14: Have you observed any socio-economic factors causing problems in

classroom environment for RTE children?

Question 15: As a teacher do you think this reservation policy is helpful to the

children?

29


Eighty percent of the subjects think that India cannot afford the infrastructure required

to implement the RTE in its true spirit.

Fifteen percent of the subjects are not sure whether India can afford the infrastructure

required to implement in its true spirit.(budget increase)

Five percent of the subjects thinks that India can afford the infrastructure required to

implement the RTE in its true spirit. They also believe that it must if the country

wants to see growth and development.


Seventy five percent of the subjects agree that the school has sensitized its employees

towards inclusiveness.

Fifteen percent of the subjects are not sure if the school has done its best to sensitize

the teachers and employees towards inclusiveness. They have done at a mediocre

level and not 100%.

Ten percent of the subjects think say that the school has not sensitized the teachers

and employees towards inclusiveness.


Forty percent of the subjects think that they cannot recognize the issues that may arise

and deal with them confidently and effectively.

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that they can recognize the issues that may

arise and deal with them confidently and effectively.

Thirty percent of the subjects think that they may or may not recognize the issues that

may arise and deal with them confidently and effectively.


Fifty percent of the subjects said that it is not possible for a teacher to teach the group

of students with different academic and social levels in the same classroom.

Thirty five percent of the subjects said that it may or may not be possible for a teacher

to teach the group of students with different academic and social levels in the same

classroom. It will be based on the support provided by the management.

Fifteen percent of the subjects said that it is possible for a teacher to teach the group

of students with different academic and social levels in the same classroom.

30


Sixty five percent of the subjects think that the School and the teachers will not be

able to treat RTE students exactly as others.

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that the School and the teachers will be able

to treat RTE students exactly as others.

Ten percent of the subjects think that the School and the teachers may or may not be

able to treat RTE students exactly as others. It depends on individuals as well and not

just the whole group.


Sixty percent of the subjects think that it is not possible for them to take extra classes /

remedial classes after school /before school hours to bring these children up to the

level of others in class.

Twenty five percent of the subjects think that it is possible for them to take extra

classes / remedial classes after school /before school hours to bring these children up

to the level of others in class.

Fifteen percent of the subjects think that it may or may not be possible for them to

take extra classes / remedial classes after school /before school hours to bring these

children up to the level of others in class. Not all teachers can dedicate their time

before and after school hours. So it is again individual basis.


Ninety percent of the subjects think that it is not fair to put a grade 1 student in the

regular class without any prior knowledge just because of his age according to RTE

rules.

Five percent of the subjects think that it is fair to put a grade 1 student in the regular

class without any prior knowledge just because of his age according to RTE rules.

Five percent of the subjects think that it may or may not be fair to put a grade 1

student in the regular class without any prior knowledge just because of his age

according to RTE rules. It solely depends on the child's capacity.

31


Ninety five percent of the subjects think that their preschool education will be a major

concern. Having a background is necessary in the present education scenario.

Children start attending Montessori or preschool from the age of 2.

Five percent of the subjects think that their preschool education will not be a major

concern.


Eighty percent of the subjects feel that communication with RTE parents is not easy.

Ten percent of the subjects feel that communication with RTE parents is easy.

Ten percent of the subjects are not sure whether the communication with RTE parents

is easy. Some people know the language and some people do not. So it depends on the

languages known to the parents. It is hard to communicate with some parents and easy

with others.


Eighty percent of the subjects feel that RTE children cannot communicate easily with

them and their classmates and are open and happy. They are more reserved and keep

to themselves because they cannot communicate. They are left out by their peers

sometimes.

Ten percent of the subjects feel that RTE children communicate easily with them and

their classmates and are open and happy. They have some language skills.

Ten percent of the subjects feel that RTE children may or may not be able to

communicate easily with them and their classmates and are open and happy.


Sixty percent of the subjects say that the RTE children do not submit their

assignments regularly and the quality of assignments are not up to the mark.

Twenty five percent of the subjects say that the RTE children submit their

assignments regularly and the quality of assignments are good.

Fifteen percent of the subjects say that some RTE children submit their assignments

regularly and some do not. The quality of assignments differ from one child to

another. Some submit good work and some do not.

32


Seventy five percent of the subjects think that RTE children are not able to understand

what is being taught in class and they are not able to manage with ease.

Fifteen percent of the subjects are not sure whether RTE children are able to

understand what is being taught in class and whether they are able to manage with

ease.

Ten percent of the subjects think that RTE children are able to understand what is

being taught in class and they are able to manage with ease.


Fifty percent of the subjects feel that there is no differentiation between other children

and RTE children in the classroom.

Thirty five percent of the subjects feel that there may or may not be differentiation

between other children and RTE children in the classroom.

Fifteen percent of the subjects feel that there is a differentiation between other

children and RTE children in the classroom.


Sixty five percent of the subjects say that they have observed socio-economic factors

causing problems in classroom environment for RTE children.

Twenty percent of the subjects say that they are not completely sure about socio-

economic factors causing problems in classroom environment for RTE children.

Fifteen percent of the subjects say that they have not observed socio-economic factors

causing problems in classroom environment for RTE children.


Sixty percent of the subjects think that reservation policy is not helpful to the children

in terms of gaining actual knowledge and skills.

Thirty percent of the subjects think that reservation policy may or may not be helpful

to the children.

Ten percent of the subjects think that reservation policy is helpful to the children.

33

4.4 INTERVIEW RESPONSES AND INTERPRETATION FOR PARENTS.

Table 4.3: Indicating the categorized responses of parents of the RTE children.


1 86 14 0

2 34 33 33

3 34 50 16

4 8 66 26

5 50 34 16

6 16 66 18

7 18 66 16

8 6 86 8

9 7 93 0

10 33 50 17

11 76 10 14

12 8 86 6

13 24 66 10

14 35 29 36

15 33 31 36

Figure 4.3: Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the parents of the

RTE children.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Re

spo

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s in

Pe

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Questions

yes

no

not sure

34

Question 1: Were you aware of RTE policy and how?

Question 2: Did the school treat you well and explained everything when you

approached for admission?

Question 3: Do you think that the school and teachers are treating your child equally

as others?

Question 4: Do you think that your child is coping well with the academic demand?

Question 5: Do you think that your child is developing any kind of complex because

he/she is not able to come up to the non RTE children’s level?

Question 6: Is your child able to do homework without any help?

Question 7: Do teachers take extra effort to help your child at school?

Question 8: Are you comfortable to go for PTMs at school?

Question 9: Do you find it easy to talk to your child’s teachers?

Question 10: Do you feel that it would have been better if your child was at a

government school?

Question 11: Do you get pressurized by your child’s demands to compete with other

children in class?

Question 12: Are you able to manage with school communication in the form of

SMS’s, emails, management systems etc?

Question 13: Is your child getting good marks and progressing well academically?

Question 14: Have you observed any depression or sadness in your child?

Question 15: Is the overall school environment comfortable and encouraging for you?

35


Eighty six percent of the subjects said that they were aware of RTE policy's


Fourteen percent of the subjects said that they were not aware of RTE policy's



Thirty four percent of the subjects said that the school treated them well and explained

everything properly when they approached the school for admission.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that the school did not treat them well and did

not explain properly when they approached the school for admission.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that the school treated them decently but not

with great hospitality and they did not proper details regarding the admission process.


Fifty percent of the subjects think that the school and teachers are not treating their

child equally as others.

Thirty four percent of the subjects think that the school and teachers are treating their

child equally as others.

Sixteen percent of the subjects are not sure that the school and teachers are treating

their child equally as others. It depends from teacher to teacher.


Sixty six percent of the subjects think that their child is not coping well with the

academic demand posed by the school.

Twenty six percent of the subjects think that their child is partly coping with the

academic demand posed by the school.

Eight percent of the subjects think that their child is coping well with the academic

demand posed by the school.


Fifty percent of the subjects think that their child is developing a kind of complex

because he/she is not able to come up to the non RTE children’s level.

36

Thirty four percent of the subjects think that their child is not developing a kind of

complex because he/she is not able to come up to the non RTE children’s level.

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that they are not sure if their child is developing a

kind of complex because he/she is not able to come up to the non RTE children’s

level.


Sixty six percent of the subjects said that their child is not able to do homework

without any help.

Eighteen percent of the subjects said that their child is sometimes able to do

homework without any help and sometimes finds it difficult.

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that their child is able to do homework without

any help.


Sixty six percent of the subjects feel that teachers do not take any extra effort to help

their child at school.

Eighteen percent of the subjects feel that teachers do take extra effort to help their

child at school.

Sixteen percent of the subjects feel that some teachers take an extra effort to help their

child at school and some do not.


Eighty six percent of the subjects said that they are not comfortable to go for PTMs at

school.

Eight percent of the subjects said that they may or may not be comfortable to go for

PTMs at school.

Six percent of the subjects said that they are comfortable to go for PTMs at school.


Ninety three percent of the subjects said that they do not find it easy to talk to your

child’s teachers.

Seven percent of the subjects said that they find it easy to talk to your child’s teachers.

37


Fifty percent of the subjects do not think that it would have been better if their child

was in a government school.

Thirty three percent of the subjects feel that it would have been better if their child

was in a government school.

Seven percent of the subjects are not sure whether it would have been better if their

child was in a government school.


Seventy six percent of the subjects said that they get pressurized by their child’s

demands to compete with other children in class.

Fourteen percent of the subjects said that they do not exactly pressurized by their

child’s demands to compete with other children in class. Their children ask for things

but do not demand.

Ten percent of the subjects said that they do not get pressurized by their child’s

demands to compete with other children in class.


Eighty six percent of the subjects said that they are not able to manage with school

communication in the form of SMS’s, emails and management systems.

Eight percent of the subjects said that they are able to manage with school

communication in the form of SMS’s, emails and management systems.

Six percent of the subjects said that they are able to manage only some forms of

communication with the school and not all.


Sixty six percent of the subjects said that their child is not getting good marks and is

not progressing well academically.

Twenty four percent of the subjects said that their child is getting good marks and is

progressing well academically.

Ten percent of the subjects said that their child is getting good marks in some subjects

but not all and academic progress is below average.

38


Thirty six percent of the subjects they are not sure whether they have observed any

depression or sadness in their child.

Thirty five percent of the subjects said that they have observed depression or sadness

in their child.

Twenty nine percent of the subjects said that they have not observed any depression

or sadness in their child.


Thirty six percent of the subjects said that the overall school environment is

comfortable and encouraging for them.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that the overall school environment is not

entirely comfortable but not uncomfortable at the same time.

Thirty one percent of the subjects said that the overall school environment is not

comfortable and encouraging for them.

39

4.5 INTERVIEW RESPONSES AND INTERPRETATION FOR STUDENTS.

Table 4.4: Indicating the categorized responses of the RTE children.

Figure 4.4: Bar Graph of the categorized responses given by the RTE children.

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Re

spo

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s in

pe

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nta

ge

Questions

Yes

No

Not Sure


1 30 50 20

2 7 93 0

3 67 20 13

4 10 70 20

5 8 83 9

6 16 76 8

7 67 33 0

8 16 80 4

9 16 80 4

10 0 84 16

11 36 46 18

12 66 34 0

13 50 33 17

14 33 59 8

15 36 56 8

40

Question 1: Are you happy coming to the school?

Question 2: Did you attend any other school before this school?

Question 3: Are your teachers friendly and treat you well?

Question 4: Do you understand what the teachers teach in class?

Question 5: Are you able to do homework at home without any help?

Question 6: Do your classmates treat you well?

Question 7: Do you feel sad anytime at school?

Question 8: Do you find it easy to talk to the teachers?

Question 9: Do you find it easy to talk and share with your classmates?

Question 10: Are the examinations easy for you? Do you feel if someone helped at

home, you would do better?

Question 11: Do you participate in all the games along with your classmates?

Question 12: Have you ever felt that you are left out for anything?

Question 13: Do teachers help you during free periods or when you ask for help?

Question 14: Are you given class monitor-ship or any other responsibility?

Question 15: Is the overall environment comfortable and encouraging for you?

41

Responses to question1:

Fifty percent of the subjects do not like coming to school.

Thirty percent of the subjects like coming to school.

Twenty percent of the subjects are not sure if they like coming to school.


Ninety three percent of the subjects did not attend any other school before this school.

Seven percent of the subjects attended another school before this school.


Sixty seven percent of the subjects said that the teachers friendly and treat them you

well.

Twenty percent of the subjects said that the teachers are not friendly with them and do

not treat them you well.

Thirteen percent of the subjects are not sure if the teachers are friendly and treat them

you well.


Seventy percent of the subjects said that they do not understand what the teachers

teach in class.

Twenty percent of the subjects said that they do not understanding everything the

teachers teach in class. They understand some and do not understand some.

Ten percent of the subjects said that they understand what the teachers teach in class.


Eighty three percent of the subjects said that they are not able to do homework at

home without any help.

Nine percent of the subjects said that they are not sure if they are able to do

homework at home without any help.

Eight percent of the subjects said that they are able to do homework at home without

any help.


Seventy six percent of the subjects said that their classmates do not treat them well.

42

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that their classmates do not treat them well.

Eight percent of the subjects said that their classmates do not treat them well.


Sixty seven percent of the subjects said that they do feel sad sometimes in school.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that they do not feel sad in school.


Eighty percent of the subjects said that it is not easy to talk to the teachers.

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that it is easy to talk to the teachers.

Four percent of the subjects said that it is not easy to talk to all the teachers. It is easy

to talk to some and difficult to talk to others.


Eighty percent of the subjects said that they do not find it easy to talk and share with

their classmates.

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that they do find it easy to talk and share with

their classmates.

Four percent of the subjects said that they do not find it easy or difficult to talk and

share with their classmates. It depends from who they are interacting with.


Eighty four percent of the subjects said that the examinations was not easy for them

and would have done better if they received help at home.

Sixteen percent of the subjects said that the examinations was not easy or difficult for

them and are not sure if they would have done better if they received help at home.


Forty six percent of the subjects said that they do not participate in all the games

along with their classmates.

Eighteen percent of the subjects said that they participate sometimes in some the

games along with their classmates.

Thirty six percent of the subjects said that they participate in all the games along with

their classmates.

43


Sixty six percent of the subjects said that they felt left out sometimes.

Thirty four percent of the subjects said that they never felt left out for anything.


Fifty percent of the subjects said that the teachers help them during free periods or

when they ask for help based on availability.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that the teachers do not help them during free

periods or when they ask for help based on availability.

Seventeen percent of the subjects said that only a few teachers help them during free

periods and other teachers do not make an effort to help them.


Fifty nine percent of the subjects said that they are given class monitor-ship or other

responsibilities.

Thirty three percent of the subjects said that they are not given class monitor-ship or

other responsibilities.

Eight percent of the subjects said that they are not given class monitor-ship but given

few other responsibilities.


Fifty six percent of the subjects said that the overall environment is not comfortable

and encouraging for them.

Thirty six percent of the subjects said that the overall environment is comfortable and

encouraging for them.

Eight percent of the subjects said that the overall environment is comfortable and

encouraging for them sometimes but not all the time.

44

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Since time immemorial, education in India has been an exclusive right of higher caste

people or the elite class of the society and was limited only to a small section of

society. Though there were compulsory education laws during British rule, not much

of progress was made in this direction as British government did have any need to

implement this strictly. After independence, Article 45 of the newly framed

Constitution stated that “the State shall endeavor to provide within a period of 10

years from the commencement of the Constitution, free and compulsory education to

all children until they complete the age of 14 years." Even then, there was not much

of progress that was expected to happen. In 1968, National Policy on Education was

framed which spoke about Indian government's commitment towards elementary

education and National policy of education of 1986 and 1990 recommended to

include RTE as a fundamental right in Indian constitution. Based on this

recommendation, National policy on Education 1992 was formulated. India also

signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in 1992 and started the

process of adopting legislation to make education a fundamental right of the child.

The passing of the act which enables Children to get Free and Compulsory Education

in 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India’s

history, children will be guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the

state with the help of families and communities.

The Right to Education Act (RTE), is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted on 4

August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and

compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of

the Indian Constitution. The enforcement of this right is a joint responsibility of the

state and the centre to provide free and compulsory education. Free and compulsory

education means that," All children between the ages of 6 and 14 shall have the right

to free and compulsory elementary education at a neighborhood school. There is no

direct (school fees) or indirect cost (uniforms, textbooks, mid-day meals,

45

transportation) to be borne by the child or the parents to obtain elementary education.

The government will provide schooling free-of-cost until a child’s elementary

education is completed." (UNICEF, India)

Though there were differences in the implementation policies of different states, there

was a general consensus on the need to implement the same centre became serious

about the implementation in 2012. State governments were forced to implement the

same in all the public aided / unaided schools without fail. The right to free and

compulsory education has proven to be a big challenge to the nation. The

implementation will not be effective unless all the agencies involved work together to

achieve the ultimate goal to universalizing education. It has been 4 years since the Act

was passed and there is still a long road that lies ahead. Not many people are still fully

aware of this Act and its provisions.

This Act serves as a building block to ensure that every child has his or her right (as a

right) to get a good quality elementary education and the State with the help of

families and communities, fulfil the what the act aims at achieving. The key features

of the Act are that it makes education a fundamental right of every child between the

age of 6 to 14. It requires all private schools to reserve 25% of seats to children who

belong to disadvantaged groups and weaker section of the society and provide free

and compulsory education till its completion (the money spent on the children is to be

reimbursed by the state as part of the public-private partnership plan). All schools

except private unaided schools are to be managed by School Management

Committees with 75 per cent parents and guardians as members. All schools except

government schools are required to be recognized by meeting specified norms and

standards within 3 years to avoid closure.

In this research the focus is on the 25% reservation in private schools for the

disadvantages groups and weaker sections of the society. It studies the benefits,

challenges and feasibility of the reservation.

5.2 NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY

Promotion of education is important for individual and social well being. Keeping all

these factors in mind, the government made education a right of every child. The RTE

46

act came into place to ensure that every child gets an education and is not deprived of

it because of the lack of economic resources or the presence of a disability. Though

the intentions of the act and policy is impeccable, it becomes necessary to understand

the practical difficulties faced by all the stakeholders on ground and the feasibility of

this clause . the main focus in this research is the 25% reservation quota in private

schools for disadvantaged children and children from weaker sections of the society.

Education in India is now under heavy strain. The national scenario is characterized

by the growing illiteracy, unabated dropout rates in elementary education and high

absenteeism. The government chose the public-private partnership as it could not

cater to the large population of the country by itself. This suddenly became a burden

of private schools. They had to undertake this responsibility upon them as the

government could not handle the situation all by themselves.

When we look at the Act's reservation just as another member of the society it sounds

all pleasing and looks like it will change the face of education in the country and the

children are going to come out of this with flying colors. When you look closely at the

way the act functions, you begin to doubt its credibility. Yes this act is helping

children get an education but to what extent are they actually learning the content

prescribed by the boards in schools they go to. They can move on from one grade to

another even if they fail to pass in the examinations. There are chances for schools to

ignore their academic progress which will result in namesake education and not a real

education.

The free education in private schools is only from 6 to 14 years of age. After 14 years,

which will be 8th grade, the children either have to pay fees, dropout of school or join

in a government school. This puts pressure on children who want to continue studying

but their parents cannot afford it. The RTE children join in the school in the 1st

standard and go on till the 8th standard. They may not have the same background as

the other children in the classroom which will be a drawback or a barrier for their

learning. They will not be able to cope with the class like their peers and may be

disoriented.

Language barrier is another issue faced by the students and teachers. The medium of

47

instruction for most private schools is English. Children coming from disadvantaged

and weaker sections of the society may not even know the language. Unless the

teachers in class know their native language they might have trouble communicating.

These children who enroll in private schools may not come from a stable education

and economic background. Their children might even be the first ones in the family to

receive an education. When they need help doing homework, to study for exams or

clearing doubts outside school, it will be problem. They do not have anyone in their

house to help them and seek external help. When the Act looks at helping the

disadvantaged groups and weaker sections, this proves to be a drawback for them.

The income line for which parents can enroll their children under the 25% reservation

is 3,60,000 rupees. This income line is too high. There are many people who are way

below the present qualifying income line. They need the seats as they cannot afford it

anywhere else. Opportunity for the weaker sections is again largely reduced.

There is a high scope for malpractice in this Act. People get low income certificates

by paying a bribe and get free education for their children even though they can afford

it. This way people who actually need the seat lose out on the opportunity. Some

parents even pay bribe to schools and other officials to get the free seat instead of

another child in the school they desire.

The reimbursement based on per child expenditure in government schools may lead to

schools to raise their fees to overcome the increased expenses which will in turn be a

burden on the parents of the non quota students.

The information collected becomes very significant as we can have deep insights into

the status of achievement of goals by implementation of the act. It also provides a

provision to analyze status of implementation of RTE, awareness and understanding

of the provisions of RTE amongst management, teachers and parents of children

studying private schools and the challenges each stakeholder is facing. Through this

study we will know if the Act is helping the children actually or it is a failed attempt.

48

It also helps us to understand how much of real awareness exists as a whole - a parent

being aware of their rights, the awareness of management and teachers, their attitude,

accountability and make all of them take an active role in the enforcement of steps

necessary for the implementation of this act resulting in reaching the very goal of this

act.


The Issues Relating to RTE Implementation and Challenges- A Qualitative Study




5.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To check the awareness levels among teachers, parents, children and school

management.

2. To explore and report the views of stake holders on the RTE's reservation

policy.

3. To understand the various methods and approaches for the implementation of

the provision.

4. To understand the key challenges, benefits and the feasibility of the 25%


5. To find remedial measures to benefit the children more from the provision.

6. To give suggestions for the effectiveness of the Act.

5.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study is designed to investigate the status of the implementation of the RTE Act

with regard to the 25% reservation for weak and disadvantaged sections of the society

in private schools. It also analyzes the advantages, benefits, loopholes and pain points

of management, teachers, children and parents. It is a descriptive study and the data

was collected using interview schedules. The research includes collection of data from

49

8 schools in Bangalore in the form of interviews. The interviews were conducted with

all the stake holders namely management staff, teachers, parents and students. The

total sample size is 100 members, which includes 30 parents, 30 students, 20 teachers

and 20 management staff.

5.6 FINDINGS

An attempt has been made to study the opinion of stakeholders regarding the issues of

the implementation of the 25% reservation quota for the disadvantaged groups and

weaker sections of the society in private schools according to the RTE Act. This

research was done to understand the problems or issues faced by the stakeholders and

to try and give solutions to the problems identified.

The findings of the study are categorized into four sections to connect them to the

objectives of the study.

5.6.1 Section 1: Findings of the study on the awareness level of the stakeholders.

1. Seventy percent of the management representatives agree that they have been able

to sensitize the school employees that they give their 100% to ensure that these

children come up to the mark. Workshops and meetings have been held by the

school to sensitize the teachers and staff about the RTE children. Teachers are told

to ignore social or economic background of all children.

2. Seventy five percent of the teachers agree that the school has sensitized its

employees towards inclusiveness. The school has arranged workshops during the

holidays and conducts various meetings at regular intervals to sensitize the

employees towards inclusiveness.

3. Forty percent of the teachers think that they cannot recognize the issues that may

arise and deal with them confidently and effectively. Teachers have not been

trained to cope with these kind of situations in a classroom. Many RTE children

do not have any educational background. They may have many problems and do

not communicate about it. So the teacher may not recognize the problem and if

she is not trained properly, she may not be able to deal with the problem.

50

4. Eighty six percent of the parents said that they were aware of RTE policy's

reservation in private schools. They got to know about the policy from

newspapers, news channels and well wishers.

5.6.2 Section 2: Findings of the study on the views of the stakeholders.

1. Thirty five percent of the management representatives subjects believe that

parents are ready to forgo the earnings brought to home by the children for the

purpose of education. Education is the priority of many families. They have been

made aware of the importance of education. They look at it as form of returns and

do not mind forgoing the children's earning. They are some other parents on the

other hand who will not forsake the earnings. They need the money for their

survival.

2. Fifty percent of the management representatives think that the 25% reservation

policy in private schools is not justified. They feel that it poses to be a big burden

on the school. Extra responsibility and extra expenditure will be incurred by the

school and the school does not benefit from it in any way.

3. Fifty five percent of the management representatives think that this step will help

in partly achieving 100% literacy but cannot be the only mean. The act will not

help in achieving 100% literacy as private schools are not there in every nook and

corner of the country. It will definitely help in increasing literacy but not 100%.

Some parents might not send their children to study. They prefer them to work but

this is fast changing.

4. Eighty percent of the teachers think that India cannot afford the infrastructure

required to implement the RTE in its true spirit. The budget allocated for

education is very less when compared to various developing countries. For a

country as big as India, the budget has to be higher. The population seeking

primary education is very high and the country's budget and various policies does

not allow it to afford the required infrastructure to implement the RTE in its true

spirit.

5. Sixty percent of the teachers think that it is not possible for them to take extra

classes / remedial classes after school /before school hours to bring these children

up to the level of others in class. A teacher's job is not limited to teaching in a

51

classroom. There are various other responsibilities to be fulfilled before leaving

the school premises. So it will be difficult for teachers to conduct remedial classes

after school hours. Teachers will not get an extra pay for putting extra effort.

Without incentive it is difficult to go out of the way.

6. Ninety percent of the teachers think that it is not fair to put a grade 1 student in the

regular class without any prior knowledge just because of his age according to

RTE rules. All the regular children in the classroom have been to an educational

institute, be it Montessori schools or play schools. Pre- primary education has

become a part of the society. They develop a lot of knowledge at an earlier age.

Without this background, the RTE children will not be of the same level as the

other children in the classroom. This affects their academic progress and also

becomes a burden on the teachers.

7. Seventy five percent of the teachers think that RTE children are not able to

understand what is being taught in class and they are not able to manage with

ease. Language is a barrier again in this case. The medium of instruction is

English and children who do not know the language properly find it difficult to

comprehend what is being taught in class. As a result the child's academic

performance takes a toll. Unless they get external help, they cannot perform with

ease.

8. Thirty four percent of the parents said that the school treated them well and

explained everything properly when they approached the school for admission.

The school staff explained the details of the policy and told them what is expected

of them.

9. Fifty percent of the parents think that the school and teachers are not treating their

child equally as others. There is a small amount of difference observed in the way

they talk to their children and the way they treat them.

10. Fifty percent of the parents think that their child is developing a kind of complex

because he/she is not able to come up to the non RTE children’s level. The non

RTE children come from better economic backgrounds. They carry fancy items or

better lunch, this sometimes affects the RTE children.

11. Sixty six percent of the parents feel that teachers do not take any extra effort to

help their child at school. RTE children need extra help outside class as they do

not have the proper basic foundation. Teachers are not willing to stay after school

52

hours and help these children who find it difficult to cope with the rest of the

class.

12. Eighty six percent of the parents said that they are not comfortable to go for PTMs

at school. They cannot speak to the teachers freely as they do not know the

language. Sometimes they also feel inferior among the other parents present at the

PTM.

13. Fifty percent of the parents do not think that it would have been better if their

child was in a government school. Government schools are low in quality and do

not offer infrastructure and facilities like the private schools. Private schools

provide a better environment for development of the child.

14. Sixty seven percent of the children said that the teachers are friendly and treat

them well. The teachers do not discriminate in class. They are encouraging and

understanding.

15. Seventy six percent of the children said that their classmates do not treat them

well. They leave them out or do not involve them in games or activities during

breaks or free periods. Sometimes they get bullied and other students make fun of

them. The low status of the children is picked upon by the other regular children.

16. Sixty seven percent of the children said that they do feel sad sometimes in school.

They feel left out sometimes or feel that they do not fit in. some of them do not

enjoy coming to school. Various such reasons contribute to their sadness.

17. Eighty percent of the children said that it is not easy to talk to the teachers.

Language plays a barrier in this case. Some of the children are not able to

communicate their thoughts and in other cases the teachers are not willing to

listen. These factors make it difficult for the children to talk to the teachers easily.

18. Eighty percent of the children said that they do not find it easy to talk and share

with their classmates. Some of the classmates discriminate them based on

appearance and the kind of things they carry to school. Language is a barrier in

this case as well. These factors make the children find it difficult to talk to their

classmates.

19. Sixty six percent of the children said that they felt left out sometimes. The

children in the class do not always involve them in play or during activities. When

it's not teacher monitored activities, they do not get to join them. Students do feel

left out sometimes.

53

5.6.3 Section 3: Findings of the study on the challenges faced by the stakeholders.

1. Sixty percent of the management representatives are not sure whether RTE

children have a complex which affects them in whatever they do. Even among

RTE children, they all come from different backgrounds. Some kids develop a

complex and some kids do not. It is entirely dependent on each individual child's

background, be it social, economical, etc.

2. Forty percent of the management representatives find it difficult to communicate

with the parents of RTE children. Parents of RTE children do not know English

language. It is difficult to make them understand things unless spoken in their

language. They take the help of other staff who know the language to

communicate. Direct communication is difficult.

3. Sixty percent of the management representatives feel that the current method of

RTE seat allotment in private schools is not justified. The seat allotment is

reserved for various categories. The reservation which was supposed to help the

needy get quality education becomes narrow. Equal opportunity in a reservation is

lost.

4. Fifty percent of the management representatives cannot say for sure whether there

is no differentiation between RTE children and other children. Differentiation and

discrimination goes down to an individual level. The school as a whole will not

differentiate the children but individual teachers or other staff members may

differentiate. It depends on the individuals in the school and nothing can be said

for sure about it.

5. Fifty percent of the teachers said that it is not possible for a teacher to teach the

group of students with different academic and social levels in the same classroom.

Not all teachers are equipped with skills to identify and teach slow learners. All

children are never of the same level, but too much difference or gap between

learners makes it difficult for the teachers to teach in a classroom.

6. Sixty five percent of the teachers think that the School and the teachers will not be

able to treat RTE students exactly as others. The fact that these children come

from a lower status in the society and do not pay fees there is a possibility that

school and teachers won't treat the RTE children exactly as others. No one is

accountable for the academic progress of these children and hence they may be

neglected at times. The children also come from different educational background

54

and this poses to be a barrier for teachers to treat them same as the regular

children.

7. Ninety five percent of the teachers think that the preschool education of RTE

children will be a major concern. Having a background is necessary in the present

education scenario. Children start attending Montessori or preschool from the age

of 2 and learn various things. In a way they are prepared for grade 1 and equipped

with knowledge. RTE children may not have that and that becomes a concern.

8. Eighty percent of the teachers feel that communication with RTE parents is not

easy. Language plays a huge barrier. When parents do not know English and the

teacher does not know their language, it is difficult to communicate with them.

Most parents do not know English as they come from a lower strata of the society

and have not received any education.

9. Eighty percent of the teachers feel that RTE children cannot communicate easily

with them and their classmates and are open and happy. They are more reserved

and keep to themselves because they cannot communicate or are not comfortable.

They are sometimes left out by their peers. Other than language, the socio-

economic status also proves to be a barrier.

10. Sixty percent of the teachers say that the RTE children do not submit their

assignments regularly and the quality of assignments are not up to the mark. These

children do not understand everything being taught in class due to various reasons.

They require help to complete their homework. Most of their parents are not

educated and cannot help in this aspect. So without external help their assignments

are not up to the mark or are not submitted at all.

11. Sixty percent of the teachers think that reservation policy is not helpful to the

children in terms of gaining actual knowledge and skills. Children are exposed to

the school system and develop in various aspects by coming to the school but they

are not gaining the actual academical knowledge that is expected of them.

Language and basic foundation being a barrier hinders the growth of academical

knowledge.

12. Sixty six percent of the parents say that their child is not coping well with the

academic demand posed by the school. They get low marks in the exams or tests

conducted in the school.

13. Sixty six percent of the parents said that their child is not able to do homework

without any help. The children cannot understand everything taught in class and

55

sometimes do not know what to do for homework. They need extra help to do the

homework.

14. Ninety three percent of the parents said that they do not find it easy to talk to their

child’s teachers. The teachers do not know the language of the parents and the

parents do not know the language of the parents. Some teachers are able to talk in

the language known to the parents but most of them do not know.

15. Eighty six percent of the parents said that they are not able to manage with school

communication in the form of SMS’s, emails and management systems. Parents of

RTE children are not tech savvy. They cannot manage the school's form of

communication and seek alternative methods. Most schools use various kinds of

technology for communication.

16. Sixty six percent of the parents said that their child is not getting good marks and

is not progressing well academically. The children cannot comprehend everything

being taught in class and they are not getting any help at home. This results in

poor performance of the students. Parents are also uneducated and cannot help

their children perform better.

17. Thirty six percent of the parents said that they are not sure whether they have

observed any depression or sadness in their child. Depression is a difficult thing to

spot or identify. Only when the children are ready to express can depression be

understood. Children are happy one day and sad another. It becomes difficult to

judge them by mere observations.

18. Fifty percent of the children do not like coming to school. They feel left out and

cannot socialize properly with their classmates. Also they are not able to cope

with the academical pressure.

19. Seventy percent of the children said that they do not understand what the teachers

teach in class. They do not have solid foundation or some basic knowledge like

the other children. They are first time learners and find it difficult to understand

what is being taught in class. Along with the lack of a foundation, they also don’t

understand the language of instruction properly.

20. Eighty three percent of the children said that they are not able to do homework at

home without any help. Everything taught in class is not understood by the

students. The medium of instruction itself is out of the comfort zone. So they need

extra help in understanding the content and completing the homework.

56

21. Eighty four percent of the children said that the examinations were not easy for

them and would have done better if they received help at home. They felt that they

didn’t understand the subject very well and hence could not perform well in

examinations. They feel that if they got external help from parents or tuitions, they

could perform better.

22. Fifty six percent of the children said that the overall environment is not

comfortable and encouraging for them. Students and some teachers are

discriminative and make it hard to be normal in class. They find it difficult to cope

with academics and understand the language used to instruct.

5.6.4 Section 4: Findings of the study on the benefits of the RTE policy.

1. Seventy five percent of the management representatives think that the school and

teachers will treat the RTE quota kids exactly as other students and not indulge in

discrimination. Students are students at the end of the day. Teachers and other

school staff will treat them as regular children.

2. Fifty percent of the management representatives have not observed any socio-

economic factors causing problems in school environment for RTE children. The

school environment as whole is not affected by socio-economic factors. Children

do not bring out their differences out in the open. There might be problems among

individuals because of socio-economic factors but it has not been observed that

the school environment being disturbed because of it.

3. Eight five percent of the management representatives did not have any instances

where the behavior of the RTE parents affected the regular parents or teachers.

The parents are well behaved and respect the institution in which their children

study. They do not do anything to disrupt the environment or disrespect anyone.

4. Fifty nine percent of the children said that they are given class monitor-ship or

other responsibilities. The duty is on rotation and this way all children get a turn

irrespective of their status. There is no single leader. The children learn to be

leaders and grow holistically.

5. Fifty percent of the children said that the teachers help them during free periods or

when they ask for help based on availability. Teachers are helpful when students

57

approach them in the free hours. They sometimes stay back in school to help the

students.

5.7 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

The following educational implications are drawn from the review of literature and

findings of the study.

1. Reduce burden on private schools from 25% to 15%. This way management will

not incur too much expenditure. This will in turn reduce the burden on the parents

which is in the form of increased tuition fee.

2. There should be a centralized system of allotting children who fall under the

RTE's 25% reservation policy in private schools. This will ensure equal

opportunity and the corruption involved will be curbed.

3. From the study it has been understood that the subjects thinks the seat allotment is

justified. Remove reservations for various groups in the 25% reservation. This

reservation aims at providing education to the underprivileged and disadvantaged

children so having reservations in a reservation is not fair.

4. The government should conduct training workshops to sensitize the school staff to

the RTE children, understand their needs and help them cope with regular school

system.

5. The government could provide funds to private schools who would like to take

some extra classes after school hours for the RTE children to help them come to

the level of the regular children in the class.

6. Schools can devise some programs where they can help the RTE children come to

the level of the other children in the class.

7. The income line under which parents can admit their children under the

reservation in private schools is high and should be reduced. The opportunity is

diluted for those who really need the free education and in no way can afford it.

8. Documents submitted by parents for the admission process have to be

crosschecked and verified by the school or government to make sure that fake

documents are not provided. People who really need it should benefit from it and

not the people who are misusing the act.

58

9. Counselors should be stationed in every school and help the RTE children as well.

Help these children cope with any form of stress or other psychological issues.

RTE children should not be deprived of meeting with the counselor.

10. From the study it has been observed that children discriminate based on the status

of a child. Students should be sensitized to respect children coming from all

backgrounds. They should be taught to not discriminate and treat everyone equally

irrespective of their skills, social and economic background.

11. From the study we can see that medium of instruction in private schools is English

and this is a huge barrier for the RTE children to comprehend what is being taught

in classes. The school could conduct English classes for these children so that they

learn the language and can cope with the classes. The school may take a nominal

fee to cover a few costs.

12. A developing country like India needs to focus on providing good quality

education for the children to go up to the level of the developed countries. The

budget allocated for education in the annual budget is low. The budget allotted for

education as a whole should be increased, specifically for the RTE policy

implementation.

5.8 DELIMITATIONS OF MY RESEARCH

1. Present study covers very small sample of private schools in Bangalore as not

many schools want to disclose this information.

2. There is no guarantee for the responses given by the samples under the study.

They may be fabricated or biased.

3. The present study is a small effort to bring in the understanding of the actual

situation of RTE Act's implementation and suggest probable measures which can

improve the benefits to the children whom it is meant.

5.9 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES

1. The study can be expanded to other parts of Karnataka to understand the

challenges and benefits of the RTE Act in the whole state.

2. The study can be expanded to other parts of India to understand the challenges

and benefits of the RTE Act in the whole country.

59

3. A study can be conducted to understand the implementation level of the RTE Act

in the country.

4. A similar study can be conducted using a larger sample of stakeholders.

5.10 CONCLUSION

The present study analyzed the 25% reservation of seats for disadvantaged and

weaker sections of the society in private schools under the RTE Act. It studied the

benefits, challenges, feasibility of the reservation and the views of the stakeholders,

namely management representatives of private schools, teachers in private schools,

parents of children who admit their children in private schools under the 25%

reservation quota and RTE children in private schools.

Children who come for admission in private schools should be rightfully treated and

given admission if they qualify. Malpractice and discrimination should be curbed.

Teachers should be sensitive towards the RTE children and their needs i.e, individual

attention, remedial help after classes and bilingual teaching. The teacher must also

ensure and monitor peer interaction. The school and government should take steps

towards sensitizing the teachers and other school staff towards accepting and treating

the RTE children equally as the non RTE children.

The study indicated that RTE children are not able to cope with their classmates in

terms of academics. Evaluation system in CBSE schools are such that no child can be

detained. This acts as a barrier in achieving the primary aim of the act which is

education for all. Education is merely represented by the marks that a student obtains

but not by the quality of it. The RTE children are not able to obtain good marks. They

need help after school hours so that they can come up to the expected level. The lack

of a proper foundation and medium of instruction prove to be a major problem for the

RTE children to understand the lessons taught in class. To overcome this problem, the

school and teachers could work together to provide the necessary help to these

children to cover the gaps.

60

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ANNEXURE

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS

1: Do you think that a developing country like India can afford the infrastructure

required to implement the RTE in its true spirit?

2: Since RTE children come from weaker sections, how willing are parents to forgo

their children's earning to make them study in schools? Are they willing to take the

risk?

3: Do you think that the 25% reservation in private schools is justified?

4: Do you think that RTE quota in private school is being utilized effectively by

parents? Do you find that many of them drop out after a year or a few months?

5: Do you think that school and the teachers will be able to treat the RTE students

exactly as other students even if you intend to?

6: Do you think that you will be able to give the same infrastructural facilities to the

RTE children?

7: Are you able to sensitize the school employees that they need to give their 100% to

ensure that these children come up to the mark?

Question 8: Do you think the RTE children have a complex which affects them in

whatever they do?

9: Do you find communication with RTE parents easy?

10: Have you had instances that RTE parents' behavior has affected your regular

parents/ teachers?

11: Do you feel that the current method of RTE seat allotment is justified?

12: Given an option, would you like to adopt a government school rather than having

RTE children in the regular class ?

13: Do you feel that there is no differentiation between other children and RTE

children in the class? Are they able to manage with ease?

14: Have you observed any socio-economic factor causing problems in school

environment for RTE children?

15: As a management person, do you think this reservation policy is helpful to the in

bringing 100% literacy?

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS

1: Do you think that a developing country like India can afford the infrastructure

required to implement the RTE in its true spirit?

2: Has the school sensitized the teachers/employees towards inclusiveness?

3: Will you be able to recognize the issues that may arise and deal with them

confidently and effectively?

4: Would it be possible for a teacher to teach the group of students with different

academic and social levels in the same classroom?

5: Do you think that the School and the teachers will be able to treat RTE students

exactly as others?

6: Is it possible for you to take extra classes / remedial or tuitions afterschool /before

school hours to bring these children up to the level of others in class?

7: Is it fair to put a grade 1 student in the regular class without any prior knowledge

just because of his age according to RTE rules?

8: RTE addresses the education of ages 6-14 years. Do you feel that their preschool

education will be a major concern?

9: Do you find communication with RTE parents easy?

10: Can RTE children communicate easily with you and their classmates and are they

open and happy?

11: Do they submit their assignments regularly and the quality of assignments are

good?

12: Are the RTE children able to understand what is being taught in class? Are they

able to manage with ease?

13: Do you feel that there is no differentiation between other children and RTE

children in the classroom?

14: Have you observed any socio-economic factors causing problems in classroom

environment for RTE children?

15: As a teacher do you think this reservation policy is helpful to the children?

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS

1: Were you aware of RTE policy and how?

2: Did the school treat you well and explained everything when you approached for

admission?

3: Do you think that the school and teachers are treating your child equally as others?

4: Do you think that your child is coping well with the academic demand?

5: Do you think that your child is developing any kind of complex because he/she is

not able to come up to the non RTE children’s level?

6: Is your child able to do homework without any help?

7: Do teachers take extra effort to help your child at school?

8: Are you comfortable to go for PTMs at school?

9: Do you find it easy to talk to your child’s teachers?

10: Do you feel that it would have been better if your child was at a government

school?

11: Do you get pressurized by your child’s demands to compete with other children in

class?

12: Are you able to manage with school communication in the form of SMS’s, emails,

management systems etc?

13: Is your child getting good marks and progressing well academically?

14: Have you observed any depression or sadness in your child?

15: Is the overall school environment comfortable and encouraging for you?

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR RTE CHILDREN

1: Are you happy coming to the school?

2: Did you attend any other school before this school?

3: Are your teachers friendly and treat you well?

4: Do you understand what the teachers teach in class?

5: Are you able to do homework at home without any help?

6: Do your classmates treat you well?

7: Do you feel sad anytime at school?

8: Do you find it easy to talk to the teachers?

9: Do you find it easy to talk and share with your classmates?

10: Are the examinations easy for you? Do you feel if someone helped at home, you

would do better?

11: Do you participate in all the games along with your classmates?

12: Have you ever felt that you are left out for anything?

13: Do teachers help you during free periods or when you ask for help?

14: Are you given class monitor-ship or any other responsibility?

15: Is the overall environment comfortable and encouraging for you?