Key panel may push widening of RTE to nursery, high school

THE LAW, WHICH MAKES EDUCATION A RIGHT FOR CHILDREN IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR ECONOMIC BACKGROUND, APPLIES TO CLASSES 1 TO 8

NEW DELHI: A key panel of India’s apex education reforms body is likely to recommend bringing pre-school and classes nine and 10 within the ambit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, thereby expanding the range of free education for children across India, members of the panel said on Saturday.

Currently, the landmark law applies to children between six and 14 years of age studying in Classes 1 to 8. The sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) will meet on January 11 to finalise its recommendation before sending the report, the officials indicated.

The CABE meets on January 15, which will be chaired by Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar. Education ministers of most states will attend the event at which the change in the RTE Act will be discussed and a decision could be taken.

“A final decision will be taken in consultation with all the states. The report of the committee once it is tabled at the CABE meeting will be circulated and discussed at length,” said a senior official, who asked not to be named.

If the recommendation is accepted by the government, the act will have to be amended in Parliament to accommodate the changes.

The 29-member CABE subcommittee headed by Union minister of state for HRD Satyapal Singh, who is in charge of higher education, was formed three years ago to study the feasibility of extending the law from preschool to secondary education. If the government approves the suggestion, it will be a key step in ensuring continuity in free school education and arresting dropouts. The dropout rate is more than 17% at the secondary level — classes nine and 10 — as against 4% in elementary school in 2015-16.