Serious gaps in the basics

The Government must aim to spend up to five per cent of its GDP on education. It should focus upon developing and improving the already existing infrastructure of all government schools . It should also establish child learning centres and even hostels for girls and children for economically weaker sections and backward classes, counsels educationist Anirudh Singh

Government schools in rural India, that are either single teacher or single room schools, are also being closed down and the few pupils that had been studying there have either been asked to enroll in larger government schools or they seek admission in private, unaided schools. The right to free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of fourteen years was made justiciable by the Eighty-Sixth Amendment Act of the Constitution in 2002. This provision took the form of a Fundamental Right as Article 21A.
If India is to achieve quality in education, it must adopt an integrated approach crucial to development that is sustainable.
Over 67% of India still resides in its villages. It means that an overwhelming proportion of India's children in the age group 5 - 14 years must get their "quality education" in the villages.
The challenge before the governments (central and the states) is to ensure that each child not only has access to free education but also completes education; and that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, human rights, gender equality and culture of peace and non-violence.
With the Right to Education Act 2009 being implemented across the country, a very great number of private, unaided, unrecognized schools have already closed down and many more are on the verge of being closed down because they purportedly do not fulfill the stipulated recognition norms. However, the Act exempts government schools and government aided schools from fulfilling the RTE Act-2009 norms.
The RTE Act 2009 is applicable only on private unaided schools which constitute only about 15% of the total number of schools in India. The RTE Act asks private schools to give 25% of their total seats to RTE children in every class, from class I to class VIII. Thus, only about 4% children of the country will be admitted in private unaided schools under the RTE Act - 2009.
Government schools in rural India, that are either single teacher or single room schools, are also being closed down and the few pupils that had been studying there have either been asked to enroll in larger government schools or they seek admission in private, unaided schools.
It seems that the Right to Education Act 2009 does not reflect either our nation's education needs or the aspirations of the people who want a better future for their children. The act seems divorced from reality for till the time the government does not establish more government schools and improve the infrastructure of existing government schools in rural areas , all efforts to educate India will remain unsuccessful.
The government first must aim to spend up to 5% of the country's GDP on education. It should focus upon developing and improving the already existing infrastructure of government schools whether in rural areas, semi-urban or urban areas.
It should prioritize repairing and maintenance of school buildings, procure furniture, make toilets, urinals, provide pure drinking water, provide electricity, establish child learning centres and even hostels for girls and children for economically weaker sections and backward classes, rather than simply reimbursing a fraction of the cost incurred in the education of a child in a private, unaided school.



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