According to the World Bank, India had been making major strides in reducing the number of out of school children – from 25 million in 2003 down to 8.1 million in 2009. Building upon this progress, the act included provisions to address access, equity, quality, and retention.
Purpose Of Community Safety Education Act
In a country where it’s not uncommon to find instances of discrimination against the weaker sections of society, the government, in a bid to offer equal opportunities to all, has enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which, as is evident from the name itself, ensures free and compulsory education for children aged between 6 and 14 years. You will be able to clearly know what is the purpose of the community safety education act. This act serves as a building block to ensure that every child has his/her right to get THE quality elementary education with the help of the state, families and local authorities. Thus, the most important features are:-
- (To provide free and compulsory education to all the children of India between the age group of 6-14 years.
- It makes the provisions for the children who are not admitted to be admitted as per the appropriate class.
- It lays down the norms and standards regarding fixed pupil- teacher ratio.
- It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate government, local authorities and parents in providing free and compulsory education and sharing of the financial requirements with the government.
- An improvement in the quality of the education which is most essential component.
- It provides for appointment of appropriate trained teachers with required academic qualifications.
- It prohibits any kind of physical punishment and mental harassment, capitation fee, running of schools without recognition and etc.
- Though RTE Act has achieved huge success with its features but it has encountered many criticisms for structural and administrative lapses. Various provisions have failed to achieve the desired results of enhancing the quality of education. Shortcomings of the act are:-
- Looking at the united nation’s charter signed by the India which mandates free and compulsory education to the age group of 0-18years but, the act provides privileges to only 6-14 years of age group and leaves out the age group of 0-6years and 14-18years. Hence, this is the greatest loophole of RTE act.
- Since the act came in 2010so therefore there is an inability to meet the distance criteria and also the certification matters to be done by the government authorities due to the lack of awareness among the poor people.
- There are no prescribed penalties in the RTE act, 2009 if the administration or the government fails to discharge their duties and responsibilities.
- The act explains about the right to schooling and physical infrastructure, but it does not guarantee that child might learn something and moreover, the government schools will not be held accountable if they fail to meet the required norms.
- Since the “reservation” policy of this act mentions about 25% seats for the unprivileged children in private/public unaided schools that means the state government bears the fees of the students. The fees gets reimbursed at the governments rates. Therefore, there will be a huge gap between the cost of education pf per child and the reimbursement by the government which would lead to the question of deficit.
- It raises the conflict with the article 30 of the Indian constitution as no exemption is been provided for the minority schools.
- The act along with the government initiatives have invited the children to schools but is still at distant as per the quality of education as it still suffers with the shortage of teacher, infrastructural gaps and several habitations continue to lack schools altogether.
- And lastly, a deeply disturbing aspect highlighted by many school managements is that the RTE Act, by giving absolute power to the Education Department and local bodies to make or mar schools, will become the ideal tool for large-scale, systemic corruption.
Conclusion
There should be increase in the age group rather only 6-14 years of age. It should also cover secondary education as the poor people till the age of 14 might not go for further education due to financial status. As parents play a vital role in shaping a child so therefore, the parents should be made familiar with the RTE act, 2009 through counseling, campaigns, pamphlets and etc. For achieving the goals of free and compulsory elementary education, it is vital to have a responsive curriculum to the changing needs and facilities