RTE 2009 Overview/ Highlights of the Act: 1.An Act to provide for Free and Compulsory Education to all children of the age of SIX to FOURTEEN years, in the whole of India except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 2. Received assent on 26th August, 2009 after 6 drafts were sent and amended. 3. Came into force on 1st April, 2010 4. Aims to provide Free Elementary Education to all children i.e. from class First to Eight. 5. Establish Schools in areas where there seems a necessity. (Within 3 years from commencement of the act. 6. Sharing of financial and other responsibilities by Central and the State government. 7. Central government shall : A. Develop framework for national curriculum with the help of academic authority. B. Develop and enforce standards for training of teachers. C. Provide technical support and resources to the state government. 8. State government shall : A. Provide Free Elementary Education. B. Avail Schooling facilities/Premises. C. Ensure non discrimination against Children belonging to weaker section or disadvantaged group. D. Provide training facilities. E. Ensure and monitor admission, attendance and completion of elementary education of every child. 9. Local Authority shall: A. Do all of mentioned in point 8. B. Maintain record of Children up to the age of fourteen residing in its jurisdiction. C. Make academic calendar. 10. Provisions of free Pre-School for children up to the age of Six is mentioned in the act. 11. School Norms/ Standards/ duties: A. Schools to be established or recognized according to the norms and standards mentioned in Section 19 of the Act. B. Schools will be reimbursed with the per child expenditure it incurs. C. Schools cannot deny admission to children for the lack of documents such as Age proof, transfer certificate, etc. D. No Child can be expelled from the school until the completion of the elementary education E. School Management Committee, 3/4th members of which consists of the parents or guardians, decides on the following: y Working of the school y School Development Plan y Monitor utilisation of grants y Perform other functions as may be prescribed 12. Teachers are appointed only after they are eligible for selection and provided proper training. New notifications came out on 23rd March, 2011 referring to the selection procedure for teachers and their duties 13. Teachers are supposed to perform all duties such as regularity and punctuality in attending school, timely completion of curriculum, assess learning ability of each child and meet parents or guardians accordingly. 14. A Proper teacher pupil ratio is specified in the act i.e. 1:25 and not to exceed 1:40 15. Curriculum for elementary education should be inclusive of: A. Conformity with values enshrined in the constitution B. All round development of the child C. Development of child s mental as well as physical abilities D. Medium of instruction as far as possible in child s mother tongue 16. Monitoring of child s right to education: A. National and State Commission for Protection of Child Rights ( NCPCR & SCPCR) B. The Commission functions as per the specified regulations 17. For implementing the Act in a effective manner National Advisory Council is set up which suggests ways and means to the Central Government for the same. A similar state body is also formed which addresses to the State Government. Advantages: y No fear of failure, hence stress free learning y All round development is feature of RTE y Protection of Child rights y Better understanding of Life y Better health, with regular checkups at school y Teacher Training Programmes high quality of Teaching y Knowing different Vocations with different activities in school Disadvantages: y Since no child is to be failed, new admittance in classes mid way is difficult y Secondary education still will have dropouts y Teacher: Pupil ratio seems difficult to cope up with the population of India y Lack of proper training centres y Casting local culture in Model Schooling is proposed but there is no employment for such teachings y Most of the government schools do not have a playground facility, thereby hindering the overall development as proposed y Classroom spacious enough to accommodate 30 students but maximum intake capacity is stated as 40 y Health education and checkups still at large missing from government schools y Library is only a feature of private schools y Field and Educational trips not quite implemented for real life learning y Higher Education, still at large, out of reach for many EDUCATION IN INDIA Effective Literacy Rates: We boast a profound education system dating back to World s first University system Nalanda University and consequently western education ingrained with the coming of British. We now follow a public private partnership to give the education system a best possible outlook i.e. an effective education system. The Central government of India formulated the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1986 and also reinforced the Programme of Action (POA) in 1986. The government initiated several measures the launching of DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, India's initiative for Education for All) and setting up of Navodaya Vidyalaya and other selective schools in every district, advances in female education, interdisciplinary research and establishment of open universities. The increased literacy rates and improved education system at all levels i.e. Primay, Secondary and higher education have be cited as contributors to India s Ever Expanding Economy. However, there remain stern challenges with the loop holes in the system. Primary Education and Secondary Education: With the enforcement of RTE, the elementary education has been made free and compulsory for children of age group 6 to 14. y The economic disparity and the social conditions make it difficult for many families to send their children to schools instead of labour work. y Shortage of resources y y y y y Poor infrastructure Higher Teacher Pupil ratio Poor teaching techniques Poor Teacher training programmes Privatisation of Schooling Solutions/ Steps Taken: y RTE ensures free elementary education y RTE also ensures quality of Curriculum, Teachers and Teaching levels y SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhyan y District Education Revitalization Programme (DERP), 1994: opened 160000 new schools including 84000 alternative education schools delivering alternative education to approximately 3.5 million children, was also supported by UNICEF and other international programmes. y Free Education for Girls y More than 6000 Model School to be set up as a part of NPE y The World Bank says the number of children reportedly enrolled in elementary education in India increased by 57 million to 192 million between 2003 and 2009. y The number of children out of school declined from 25 million to 8.1 million during the same period, the World Bank says. Plans: 1. Four A s plan: y Availability ± funded by governments, education is universal, free and compulsory. There should be proper infrastructure and facilities in place with adequate books and materials for students. Buildings should meet both safety and sanitation standards, such as having clean drinking water. Active recruitment, proper training and appropriate retention methods should ensure that enough qualified staff is available at each school. [15] Accessibility ± all children should have equal access to school services regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Efforts should be made to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups including children of refugees, the homeless or those with disabilities. There should be no forms of segregation or denial of access to any students. This includes ensuring that proper laws are in place against any child labour or exploitation to prevent children from obtaining primary or secondary education. Schools must be within a reasonable distance for children within the community, otherwise transportation should be provided to students, particularly those that might live in rural areas, to ensure ways to school are safe and convenient. Education should be affordable to all, with textbooks, supplies and uniforms provided to students at no additional costs. [16] Acceptability ± the quality of education provided should be free of discrimination, relevant and culturally appropriate for all students. Students should not be expected to conform to any specific religious or ideological views. Methods of teaching should be objective and unbiased and material available should reflect a wide array of ideas and y y beliefs. Health and safety should be emphasized within schools including the elimination of any forms of corporal punishment. Professionalism of staff and teachers should be maintained.[17] y Adaptability ± educational programs should be flexible and able to adjust according to societal changes and the needs of the community. Observance of religious or cultural holidays should be respected by schools in order to accommodate students, along with providing adequate care to those students with disabilities. [18] 2. UN programmes: y Education for All (EFA): provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults y Goals set by EFA: A. Goal 1: Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children B. Goal 2: Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality. C. Goal 3: Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes D. Goal 4: Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. E. Goal 5: Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. F. Goal 6: Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills 3. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be used for: y Universal access to education y Equity in education, y The delivery of quality learning and teaching y Teachers professional development and more efficient education management y Governance and administration y Millennium Development Goals such as eradication of poverty by 2015 and primary education for each child is pressed for since: 1. More people would grow and develop 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. More people would learn and know More people would be equal and just More children would survive and live More mothers would be healthier More people would be able to combat illness More people would think of the future More people would work together 4. Understanding that education can help ensure a safer, healthier, more prosperous and environmentally sound world, while simultaneously contributing to social, economic, and cultural progress, tolerance, and international cooperation 5. Knowing that education is an indispensable key to, though not a sufficient condition for, personal and social improvement 6. Recognizing that traditional knowledge and indigenous cultural heritage have a value and validity in their own right and a capacity to both define and promote development 7. Acknowledging that, overall, the current provision of education is seriously deficient and that it must be made more relevant and qualitatively improved, and made universally available 8. Recognizing that sound basic education is fundamental to the strengthening of higher levels of education and of scientific and technological literacy and capacity and thus to self-reliant development 9. When all of society has attained a minimal level of education then each individual is functioning at a level that is capable of becoming a productive part of that society's work force. 10. Need of awareness for the spread of RTE 11. With proper Elementary a thorough base is developed which in turn helps to : y y y y y Attain a proper thought process Equity amongst all Adequate standard of living Participate in shaping decisions and policies affecting oneself, community, national and international Exchange of benefits Add in ppt from hindu article about different countries N in report too. Higher Education: The problem with a large number of dropouts after secondary education lies with the fact that: y Social Obligations y Financial burden of the family y Disinterest after improper Elementary and Secondary Education y Limited point of view y Lesser number of Females opting for higher education y Age for Marriage for Females 18 years y Differential ranking of Colleges and universities Solutions/ Steps Taken: y Disinterest and Limited point of view can be changed at an elementary level, hence introduction of RTE certainly will help eradicate the prejudice of a view point and different activities and an all round development through the same would help the child to pursue studies further y New Vocational areas: To name a few, Theatre, Arts, Films, Music are now as much as respected careers as those of Doctors or Engineers y Common Entrance Tests for all colleges from 2012 y Quota System for the Weaker sections of the society y Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy: Aims to bring the female illiteracy to half of its present value y Better Infrastructure needed for Technical Education y Qualified Teachers for the Technical Education y Indian National Policy on Education (NPE): Provided various schemes for minorities y Free Education for Girls y Scholarships for various meritorious students