MHRD could extend right to free education till Class 12
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has said that it is considering a proposal to extend children's right to free education till Class 12. Interestingly, in March last year, the HRD Ministry had informed the Parliament that it had no plans of extending the ambit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. Here are the details.
The proposal to extend RTE Act was made in 2012
The recommendation to extend the ambit of the RTE Act, 2009 till Class 12 was made in 2012 by a sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE). Now, in response to an inquiry by education activist Ashok Agarwal, the HRD Ministry has confirmed that it is looking into the proposal, and will take a decision once the proposal is "examined thoroughly".
The HRD Ministry's reply to Agarwal's inquiry
"A proposal regarding extension of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, is under consideration of the ministry. Any decision in this regard would be intimated, once it is examined thoroughly," the HRD Ministry said in its reply to Agarwal.
What is the RTE Act, 2009?
As per the RTE Act, 2009, children aged between six and 14 years currently have a right to free education from Class 1 to Class 8. Under the Act, all private schools, except for minority institutes, are required to reserve 25% of their seats for the education of underprivileged children.
What the HRD Ministry had said earlier
In March, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satya Pal Singh had told the Parliament that the HRD Ministry had no plans for extending the ambit of the RTE Act, 2009 till Class 12. However, he had said that the education department had prepared an Integrated Scheme on School Education "to treat school and education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class 12".