The draft policy on education has recommended extending the ambit of the Right of Children for Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2019 for all to ‘include early childhood and secondary school education’ informed the central government to Delhi High Court on Friday. After an NGO claimed that students across the country under the RTE act are facing the threat of removal after passing class VIII.
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) led by Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ presented an affidavit in the high court stating, “This would extend the coverage of the RTE Act to all children between the ages of 3 to 18 years.”
The affidavit further said, “It will ensure that all students will get enrolled and participate in the quality school education by 2030. The Ministry is in the process of settling the National Education Policy (NEP) based on the suggestions received from various stakeholders.”
The central government was responding to the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by an NGO called Social Jurist, seeking free education for Economically Weaker Students (EWS) in unaided schools up to Class XII. After which high court asked the government to respond to the offered amendments made in the RTE Act.
The NGO counsel Ashok Agarwal has claimed that free education is provided to Disadvantaged Groups (DG) and EWS students in unaided schools up to class XII as per the RTE Act. He claimed that students from the categories were harassed by schools across the country to pay fees.
The NGO claimed that students across the country under the RTE act are facing the threat of removal after passing class VIII, contrary to the objective of the Act i.e. to provide free education to children irrespective of their financial background. The Act fails if EWS students were not allowed to study till class XII.
Right to Education Act (RTE) enacted on August 4, 2009, provides free and compulsory education to children between the age of 6-14 years in India under Article 21A of the constitution of India.