Right to education has come in to force

[Iggy]

The much awaited Right to Eduction (RTE) Act, which promises free and compulsory education up to Class 8, will be implemented Thursday with an address to the nation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The act will provide for education to students in the age group of 6-14 and specially focus on bringing back 8.1 million children of this age group back to the classrooms.


'There are a lot of expectations from this act and we hope that it will deliver good primary education to all sections of society,' a senior official of the human resource development (HRD) ministry told IANS.


The act, which was passed by parliament last year, seeks to achieve 10 broad objectives such as free and compulsory education in the 6-14 age group, quality education, focus on social responsibility like reservation in private schools, the obligation of teachers and de-bureaucratisation of admissions.


The RTE Act promises to create conducive educational atmosphere for physically handicapped children. It also seeks to make learning student-oriented rather than teacher- and classroom-oriented.


However, it faces a major challenge in the form of deficit in finance, quality of teachers and inadequate infrastructure in the beginning years.


In the first year of its implementation (2010-11), the scheme is facing a shortage of nearly Rs.7,000 crore and there is a huge deficit of trained teachers especially in eastern India.


'The act is starting now, but its real outcome will be visible in a couple of years. We are set for an educational transformation in India,' HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here a few days back

Right to Education Act comes into force Thursday


Kuddos to the government and parliment members for passing this bill ..I know there are some issues implementing it..but its baby steps..good begining ..

 

[Join]

This is gonna rock, now no child labouring..... man India is great.... manmohan ji, tussi great ho, taufa kabool karo

 

[desiman]

This is very good news, Jai Hind

 

[Iggy]

Right To Education law a tryst with destiny, says Sibal

New Delhi: With the Right To Education Act coming into force from tomorrow, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today hailed the development as "tryst with destiny" in the education sector.

"Tomorrow will be a historic day as the RTE Act would come into effect. Education is going to be a Constitutional right...It is a tryst with destiny in the area of education," Sibal told reporters today.


'Tryst with destiny' is the famous phrase associated with Jawaharlal Nehru who used it in his historic speech at midnight of August 14, 1947 when India attained independence.

Sibal said providing quality education is the dream of Congress leadership, its president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The new law will ensure that quality education is provided to children of all community, including minorities and backward classes.

"Any child can demand his right for education from tomorrow. He will not be denied this right," Sibal said.

He said implementation of the Act is not the responsibility of Centre alone but all stakeholders, including parents, children, NGOs, state governments and local governments.

"All the stakeholders need to carry out their responsibilities," he said.

The prime minister will address the nation on the new law tomorrow.

The Act provides for 25 per cent reservation of seats for weaker sections in private and unaided schools. However, this reservation will not be implemented from this year as the admission season is almost over.

"The reservation will be implemented from 2011-12. It will not be implemented in the classes in one go. It will be implemented over a period of 12 years," he said.

As per an estimate, the government would will have to spend Rs 1.71 lakh crore in the next five years for its implementation. Sibal said that the government has arranged the required funds for implementing the law.

http://www.zeenews.com/news615628.html

 

[AVADI]

Very good news.Government should take more steps like these and focus on development.

On a lighter note if things goes on like these Mr.RiazHaq would have nothing to write about.

 

[ek_indian]

Govt is now focussing on so many revolutionary bills like Women empowerment, right to educzation etc.

Someone says there is no child labour. I do not agree with it on practical grounds. There is no way we can provide education to each child. We simply do not have enough infrastructure. However there would be improvement in situation in long run.

 

[Iggy]

During an interview in CNN-IBN Sibal made it clear that funding is not an issue in implementing this law.. and also apart from stopping child labour ,it also create a lots of jobs ..man i dont mind they do corruption if they continue to take steps like this and implement it...

 

[Iggy]

Govt is now focussing on so many revolutionary bills like Women empowerment, right to educzation etc.

Someone says there is no child labour. I do not agree with it on practical grounds. There is no way we can provide education to each child. We simply do not have enough infrastructure. However there would be improvement in situation in long run.

bro as i said its baby steps..govt also not expecting a fast results...if they give free education and also provide free food like the govt of Kerala is doing...then lots of kids will turn to attend the schools..on long run it will be beneficial to us..

 

[karan.1970]

So every private school from next year will need to induct 25% of entry level students (Class I) from underprivilaged section of society..

Man..This if implemented right, will change the whole scenario in next 10 years...100% literacy.. here we come...

 

[KS]

A very good move by the congress govt to increase the literacy percentage nd hope by 2020 atleast 85% of indians r literate...
Man this cong govt is one of the best in recent times....


@offtopic
some times i hope (against my hope) that what will India be if the congress and the BJP can sink their diff (not much if u see their policies)
and form a sort of unity govt...that will rock...

 

[RPK]

Iam also look forward to the Food security act.

 

[Marxist]

Manmohan Singh to address nation on Right to Education

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will on Thursday address the nation on the historic legislation that has made education a fundamental right.

The Right to Education Act that provides for free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of six to forteen years will come into effect on April 1.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre is seeing the legislation as one of its biggest achievement.

Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal had earlier said the ministry would work on a year-long programme to generate awareness about the Act.

“Institutions will be given (adequate) time to (align) with the provisions of the Act,” said Sibal.

Sibal also indicated that the implementation of the Act would not be delayed on account of the ongoing litigation challenging it before the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court has served notice on the government,” Sibal said, and added: “Everybody has the right to challenge the government. The court will decide. But the implementation of the Act will not be affected.”

The HRD ministry will also generate awareness about the Act through a short publicity film on television titled Roll Call, which features Nandita Das. (ANI)

 

[Marxist]

Education is now a fundamental right of every child

New Delhi: Nearly eight years after the Constitution was amended to make education a fundamental right, the government today implemented a historic law to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years .

The 86th Constitutional amendment making education a fundamental right was passed by Parliament in 2002. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, a law to enable the implementation of the fundamental right, was passed by Parliament last year. Both the Constitutional amendment and the new law came into force from today.

The new law makes it obligatory on part of the state governments and local bodies to ensure that every child gets education in a school in the neighbourhood.

Its implementation will directly benefit close to one crore children who do not go to schools at present. These children, who have either dropped out from schools or have never been to any educational institution, will be enrolled in schools.

The Right to Education 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% of these children (nearly 92 lakh) are out of school, a ministry official said.

The school management committee or the local authority will identify the drop-outs or out of school children above six years of age and admit them in classes appropriate to their age after giving special training.

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% seats for children from weaker sections.

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 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 Rs1.71 lakh crore in the next five years for implementation of the Act. Sibal said that the government has arranged the required funds for implementing the law.

The provisions of the Act says that no school can deny admission to a student and all schools need to have trained teachers. In case of schools not having trained teachers, they will have to comply with the provision within three years.

As per the new law, the schools need to have certain minimum facilities like adequate teachers, playground and infrastructure. The government will evolve some mechanism to help marginalised schools comply with the provisions of the Act.

The government has already prepared model rules which have been circulated to the states for preparing their own rules for implementation of the Act. The Centre has also prepared separate rules for the Union Territories which will be notified by the Law Ministry next week.

As per the Model rules, the local bodies and the state governments will undertake household surveys and neighbourhood school mapping to ensure that all children are sent to school.

The rules say that the state governments or local authorities will determine the neighbourhood schools by undertaking school mapping. Such agencies shall ensure that no child is subjected to caste, class, religious or gender abuse in the school.

The local authority will conduct a household survey and maintain a record of all children in its jurisdiction. The record will contain detailed information about the child and the parents and will specify whether the child belongs to the weaker section or disadvantaged group or having any disability.

The state government or local authorities will identify children with disabilities and children from disadvantaged groups every year.

Unaided and private schools shall ensure that children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups shall not be segregated from the other children in the classrooms nor shall their classes be held at places and timings different from the classes held for the other children.

The new law will ensure that quality education is provided to children of all community, including minorities and backward classes.

However, the reservation for weaker section will not be implemented from this year as the admission season is almost over. It will be implemented from 2011-12.

The state government and local authorities will establish primary schools within walking distance of one km of the neighbourhood. In case of children for Class VI to VIII, the school should be within a walking distance of three km of the neighbourhood.

The government has prepared a short film on the new law which would be aired on TV channels to create awareness.

 

[booo]

It's official: one school every kilometre

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday the government was committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category have access to education and fund constraints would not be allowed to hamper implementation of the the Right to Education Act.

Addressing the nation as the Right to Education Act went into force today, he said "the government is committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education."

"Our government, in partnership with state governments, will ensure that financial constraints do not hamper the implementation of the Right to Education Act" he said.

Adding a personal touch to the importance of education, the Prime Minister recalled his own childhood days as someone born in a family of modest means who had to walk a long distance to go to school. "I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am today because of education," he said.

"I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the light of education. I want every Indian to dream of a better future and live that dream", Singh said.

Recalling the desire of Gopal Krishna Gokhale about 100 years ago when he had urged the Imperial Assembly to confer on the Indian people the Right to Education, Singh said about 90 years later the Constitution was amended to enshrine the Right to Education as a fundamental right.

"Today, our government comes before you to redeem the pledge of giving all our children the right to elementary education," Singh said adding "this demonstrates our national commitment to the education of our children and to the future of India ".

Pointing out that India is a country of young people, he said "it is the belief of our government that if we nurture our children and young people with the right education, India's future as a strong and prosperous country is secure."

Singh said the government at the Centre, in states and union territories and authorities at district and village levels must work together as part of a common national endeavour to realise the Right to Education and asked the states to join in this national effort with "full resolve and determination".

Noting that success of any educational endeavour was based on the ability and motivation of teachers and the implementation of the Right to Education is no exception, he asked the teachers across the country to become partners in this effort.

At the same time, Singh said it was also incumbent upon all to work together to improve the working conditions of teachers and enable them to teach with dignity, giving full expression to their talent and creativity.

Parents and guardians too have a critical role to play having been assigned school management responsibilities under the Act, he said adding "the needs of every disadvantaged section of our society, particularly girls, Dalits, adivasis and minorities must be of particular focus as we implement this Act."

 

[booo]

During an interview in CNN-IBN Sibal made it clear that funding is not an issue in implementing this law.. and also apart from stopping child labour ,it also create a lots of jobs ..man i dont mind they do corruption if they continue to take steps like this and implement it...

if we can spend so many billions on defence, we should spend many more billions on education too.