Total
implementation of RTE Act is necessary
Adoption of the RTE Act can radically transform
school education. Free and compulsory education of children in the 6 to 14 age
group in India became a fundamental right in 2002. Eight years later came the Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2010, or the RTE Act.
There has been concern about
the lacunae in the school education system. The onus to ensure free and
compulsory education lies on the state. Even so many years after its enactment,
there are still children on the streets, in fields and in homes. Therefore, the
problem now is more about dropouts than children who were never enrolled.
Strategies need to be made to ensure retention.
The RTE Act prescribes basic minimum standards
for a school such as provision for toilets, drinking water and classrooms. The
pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) needs to be maintained. It is impractical to expect
quality education without this. No meaningful teaching-learning is possible
unless trained teachers are physically present at school.
A law is as good or as bad as its
implementation. It is unfair to blame legislation alone for the sad state of
affairs without implementing it in full measure, especially its enabling
provisions. Transfer power of education from Central and State government to Panchayats
at local self-ruling government. Make education more transparent
and quality based teaching form core of 'Value-based education'. Give more
emphasis on trained and skillful teacher and simultaneously enhancing
'Student-teacher ratio' in grass root level.
It would be better if private schools came forward
(or are required) to admit mentor and support about 10 percent very poor
students from the locality as a social obligation. It will also show children
the realities of life in different cross sections of society
Acts are to be made not only after studying the
scenario but also after ensuring that the infrastructure could be made
available. Child rights act was made to fulfill the contents of the hue and cry
of public or to satisfy the word given at any other international get-together.
A good educational ecology, easily accessible
to even the lowest strata of society, is hallmark of any progressive society.
The RTE itself legislated quite late needs to be put in letter and spirit.
Though so many years of its existence is not sufficient to assess its success,
the effort should be made to institutionalize some of its core tenets like
basic infrastructure in the school, optimal student teacher ratio, addressing
dropout issue, debating no detention policy, managing school at local level as
per the existing sociocultural conditionings, skilling teachers, putting school
out of regular chores like its use for camping, census, voting etc.
School is the foundational edifice for the
budding generation where their multiple mental faculties get proper shape. So,
a right framework for school administration is need of hour where "say"
of civil society, panchayat, municipal, motherhood association etc. should be
given primacy. RTE must be truly justiciable fundamental right as it is base of
all.
An improvement needs motivation and for
educational improvements, the educationalists are the people who have great
motivation for uplifting society by good education. So, Government should take
the help of regional educationalists, and should make regional
councils-territory wise. Each territory council can have 3 to 4 educationalists
and one prominent educational officer from govt. Simultaneously, government can
do partnerships with private organisation for providing education and that
partnership should be contract based so that competition prevail among private
organisations also. Execution can be done by these private players while those
regional councils will ensure their smooth and qualitative execution.
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