WE THE PEOPLE
Centre commits to ensure Access to Education to all Children in the Age group of six to fourteen
Hence People urge State Govt., to implement Right to Education Act to benefit deprived lot in J&K
By: Mirror News Service
Srinagar: It is alleged that the policies followed in India under the Nehru-Mahalanobis Model placed excessive responsibility for the expansion and development of education on the State. Consequently, the expansion and establishment of education institutions and facilities have been shouldered mainly by the State. At the elementary levels of education, the Sate-sponsored schools have been made responsible for the spread of literacy, more especially in rural areas, but even in urban areas, bulk of the schools are State run or aided by the State. At the level of secondary, higher secondary and the college and university as well, public sector has played a dominant role in the development of education system.
A stage has now come when the State is finding it very difficult to meet the democratic aspiration of the people for further expansion of educational system due to paucity of resources, because the demand for funds for the educational sector has to compete with the demand for resources for the other sector.
But it is gratifying that a historic law making education a fundamental right of every child has come into force in the country, directly benefiting close to one crore children who do not go to schools at present.
Nearly 92 lakh children, who have either dropped out from schools or have never been to any educational institution, will get elementary education as it will be binding on part of the local and state governments to ensure that all children in the six to 14 years age group get schooling.
The law is coming into force after the Centre and states resolved all issues for its implementation and agreed to share of funds in the ratio of 55-45.
Education became a fundamental right of every child in the age of six to 14 years through the 86th amendment by inserting a clause in the Constitution in 2002. Parliament passed the enabling law last year.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act has been notified and this Right is being touted by the UPA government as another major achievement after Right To Information Act and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
At present, there are nearly 22 crore children in the relevant age group. However, 4.6 per cent of these children (nearly 92 lakh) are out of school.
The Act makes it a right of every child to get education. The Act makes it obligatory for the appropriate governments to ensure that every child gets free elementary education.
The Act mandates that even private educational institutions have to reserve 25 per cent seats for children from weaker sections. The Finance Commission has provided Rs 25,000 crore to the States for implementation of the Act.
As per the government's estimate, there will be a requirement of Rs 1.71 lakh crore in the next five years for implementation of the Act.
Certain schools have already challenged the law in the Supreme Court as being "unconstitutional" and violating fundamental rights of unaided private educational institutions. However, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has said that legal process would not affect the implementation of law.
The school management committee or the local authority has to identify the drop-out or out of school children above six years of age and admit them in classes appropriate to their age after giving special training. (To be continued)
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