WHAT IS THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION (RTE)? WITH IMPORTANT FEATURES IN THE ACT

Education can be defined as a means to acquire knowledge, skills, values and beliefs in different aspects of our life. Education is a fundamental human right and it helps to promote a varied degree of individual freedom and empowerment and propagates important developmental benefits.

The education system of India can be traced back to ancient times, India had the Gurukul system. In the Gurukul system, anyone who wished to study went to the gurus home or his ashram and could request to be taught. If the student is accepted by the guru, he would then stay at the guru’s place and would begin his journey to acquire knowledge. The guru taught everything the student would want to learn, right from Sanskrit to Mathematics and to Metaphysics. All of the learning was closely related to nature and to different features of life and was not only confined to retain some information.

After that, the school system came to India, under which the school was divided into different sections is from primary to junior to senior. According to the age of the child and comprehension level, the child is directed to that section. Here, they gain knowledge practically as well as theoretically. According to their interest in the wide array of fields, they select different subjects and take a different opportunity and proceed towards different fields whether it consists of engineering, doctor, lawyer, teacher based on what suits their interest.

Important features of the right to free and compulsory education act consist of the following measures-

• Every child has the fundamental right to free and compulsory education
• The RTE act makes rules for the non-admitted students to be admitted at a proper age to the specified class
• It specifies different responsibilities to the local authorities and government to ensure and provide free and compulsory education
• It also lays down rules regarding Pupil Teacher Ratios in each class
• It also ensures that the employment of every teacher whether in urban or in rural areas is balanced way, and should maintain a proper ratio
• It also lays down particular rules for maintaining the infrastructure of the schools, proper working hours for the teachers
• It also prescribes the employment of trained and well-educated teachers

The Right to Education Act also forbids:

• Mental harassment or physical assault over any student
• Institutions charging more Capitation fees than the prescribed amount which means that the amount of fee taken by them which is more fee
• It also prohibits the school from working without its identification

The RTE act wants to form an education system in which every child should be authorized to get an education freely and he or she should be free from any kind of panic about harassment, unequal treatment etc. This act wants to establish a system in which full knowledge regarding the subject and moral values should be provided and none of the children could be remained deprived of their fundamental and the most basic rights.

Some steps that should be taken by the Government and local authorities and also by the parents for increasing awareness regarding education are:-

• In RTE “compulsory education” creates an important responsibility for the government as well as for the local authority to ensure admission of every child of the age 6-14 years
• It is the responsibility of the parents to maintain proper attendance of their child
• Fulfilling elementary education of each and every child falling under the age of 6-14 years
• The government should try and maintain proper training facilities for the teachers
• It should ensure a good elementary education that should be according to the prescribed norms
• It is the responsibility of the local authorities that a child that belongs to a weaker section of the society and anyone who is disabled should not face discrimination from the other students

There are certain responsibilities of the school and the teachers too:

• The teacher appointed should duty-bound perform the norms the under sub-section (1) of section 23
• A teacher should be regular and prompt towards his duty
• It is the duty of the school to maintain proper discipline