Free education for kids gets cabinet nod

Akshaya Mukul | TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The Right to Education Bill, a major move to make education a fundamental right for every child between the ages of six and 14 years, was cleared by the Union cabinet on Thursday. It’s slated to be introduced in parliament during the current session. If the bill is passed, one of the longest awaited political promises will have been honoured.

The first UPA government spent five years discussing it in various committees. By the time it was finalized, the bill could not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

If the bill becomes law, it will empower the seven-year-old 86th constitutional amendment that makes free and compulsory education a fundamental right. The bill sets down guidelines for states and the Centre to enforce this right. Earlier, education was part of the directive principles of state policy. Both the Centre and states will be responsible for the finances. The Centre will determine the capital and recurring expenditure, and provide it as grants-in-aid to states from time to time.

BILL HIGHLIGHTS
States and the Centre should enforce the fundamental right to education for children aged 6-14 years

The cost will be nearly Rs 12,000cr a year (currently Rs 3,000 per child per yr)
25% of the seats in private unaided schools should be reserved for poor children in the neighbourhood

Teachers should not undertake private tuitions and should not be expected to perform non-educational duties

Parents should have an equal stake in the system, with 50% reservation for women in school committees

Expenses on kids to decide relief for schools
New Delhi: The cost to the exchequer of enforcing the Right To Education (RTE) bill, cleared by the cabinet on Thursday, would be Rs 12,000 crore every year. Even private unaided schools will get assistance, as 25% of their seats will have to be reserved for poor children in the neighbourhood. However, the bill is clear that schools that have got land at a concessional rate and were anyway obliged to reserve 25% of their seats for poor children in the neighbourhood will not be compensated. Compensation will be based on the expenditure per child. Currently, the per child cost borne by the government is Rs 3,000 per annum. The share of the Centre and states will be decided later.

The principals of several schools had raised the relief issue with HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday. But the minister said schools should not mind losing a little bit of their profit. To ensure parents have an equal stake in the system, the bill provides for school management committees in all government and aided schools. TNN