Discussions on Education 1

I was privileged to attend a consultation on the Draft Rules being prepared by the Education Department in December. The Draft Rules are for the implementation of the Right to Education Act in the State of Bihar.

Here is an extract from my notes. Vinod Raina , member of the National Advisory Council on RTE replies to a few questions.

Principal Patna Central School: Due to RTE Act, will an estimated 18.9 percent private schools of 1.5 million will shut down?


Reply: Unaided elementary [age group 6 to 14] schools are only 8 percent of the total primary schools. 80 percent are government schools and 12 percent are aided primary schools, and 8 percent are unaided. It is not only private schools will be shut down, but government schools which do not fulfil these norms and conditions after three years cannot continue.
This Act has given a right to the child to an education where it defines what will be the minimum conditions for giving that education.
And this is the right of an Indian child, and the Act says no matter who is giving education they have to give this minimum standard. We cannot look at the rights of the child in a differentiated manner, as a matter between private and public.
The question that needs to be asked is whether the Indian child deserves this minimum right or not? The question is not what will happen to the private schools. The law says that the government must provide neighbourhood schools to every child by 2013, because article 21 A says that the state shall provide free and equitable education to every child.

Question: What is the concept of ‘common education system’?

Reply: Though not relevant to the present consultation which is to discuss the rules, briefly, the answer is common school system was based on the premise of access of equitable education for all and advocated that all schools, including private ones, would not charge fees of any kind.

Does every Indian Child, including the Dalits, Musahars, and marginalised have the right to quality education?

The Kothari commission mentioned Common school system in section 1.36, placed the concept of common school, but in section 10.77, dealing with implementation, it mentions a constitutional problem: under Article 19E and G which is a fundamental Right, private schools have a right to exist. Therefore private schools would have to be kept out of the common school system.