MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT(SHRI KAPIL SIBAL)
(a) to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 242 FOR 11TH AUGUST, 2010
ASKED BY SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY AND DR. RAGHUVANSH PRASAD SINGH REGARDING CONSULTATIONS ON RTE
ACT, 2009.
(a) & (b): Government has received representations from State Governments and other
stakeholders on various issues relating to the implementation of the Right of Children to Free
and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, including financial resources, teacher
qualifications, schools run by minority organisations and admission procedure in
specified category and unaided schools. The Government is in constant dialogue with the
State Governments and stakeholders.
The Government has taken various steps for implementation of the RTE Act, including notifying
the (a) RTE Rules, 2010; (b) National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) as the academic
authority to lay down teacher qualifications, (c) National Council of Educational Research
and Training (NCERT) as the academic authority to lay down the curriculum and evaluation
procedure, and (d) National Advisory Council (NAC) under the Act. In addition, Government
has taken steps to align the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) norms with the provisions of the
RTE Act.
(c) & (d): The Government had convened a meeting of State Education Ministers on 18th June,
2010, in which issues relating to teacher recruitment, redeployment, and teacher qualifications
and training were discussed in keeping with the provisions of RTE Act. In the meeting of the
Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on 19th June, 2010 issues relating to aligning SSA
norms with the RTE Act were discussed.
(e) & (f): Under the RTE Act, every child in the 6 – 14 age group, including a child belonging
to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes and minorities has the right to
free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school. Sections 8 and 9 of the Act cast
duties on appropriate Governments and local authorities to ensure that the child belonging
to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups are not discriminated against and prevented from
pursuing and completing elementary education on any grounds. Section 12(1) (c) of the Act
provides that schools of specified category and unaided schools shall admit in class I, to
the extent of at least twenty-five per cent of the strength of that class, children belonging
to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood and provide free and compulsory
elementary education till its completion. The National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) have been
mandated under the Act to examine and review the safeguards for rights of the child provided
under the RTE Act.
