2019-08-01_Reader_s_Digest_India

good schooling for both. Right to Edu-

cation came as a boon,” says Uzma,

happy to be able to admit Arhaan

to Blue Bells under provision 12(1)

(c) of the RTE that provided for

compulsory reservation of at least

25 per cent of seats in private schools

for underprivileged children.

RTE came as a relief to millions

like her. Akhtar Ali and Maqsoodan,

residents of a resettlement colony

in Delhi, tried to educate their firstborn

Salma, unsuccessfully. Salma, now 28,

dropped out of school after class 5.

“She just refused to go—school was

just an open space, with no toilets or

any other facilities,” Ali, who works as

a driver, said.

They admitted their second daugh-

ter Wasima to a private school around

2010 but could afford the fees (`300 per

month) for only a year. After the RTE

was implemented, they admitted her

to a government school in Chattarpur.

“She is in secondary school now. It is

a huge help that we don’t need to pay

the fees or for books,” Maqsoodan said.

August 2019 will mark a decade since

70 august 2019

There is no connect between

different schemes of the

government— between RTE

and the Kasturba Gandhi

Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs)—

for example, which can help

increase access to education

for girls from underprivileged

and minority communities.

It has, however, successfully

closed the gap between

girls and boys in school

through better enrolment.

There’s been some

improvement in

infrastructure, though

not satisfactory. Its major

failing is that the quality

and quantity of teachers at

government schools has

been abysmal, and not

meeting the required

teacher-student ratios. Also,

educational institutions are

failing to comply with the

RTE standards and norms.

Dr. Ranjana Kumari,

Director,

Centre for Social Research

One of the most progressive

and ambitious legislations

ever passed. With such a di-

verse population and difficult

geography of the country to

cater to, it is inevitable that

the legislation faces many

challenges in its proper

Tarun Cherukuri

CEO, Indus Action Education

Think Tank

THE JURY IS IN...

Reader’s Digest