Free and Compulsory Education, this is the very essence of right to education. The importance of education in day-to-day life cannot be negated. Education has become a huge part of being able to survive in today’s world, every other job opportunity requires a minimum educational and academic qualification for merely applying. There is a huge privilege associated with access to education, people from an advanced socio-economic background have an easier access to schools. In order to close this socio-economic gap, the government brought about the Right to Education Act in 2009 that aimed at free and compulsory education from the ages 6 to 14. This has been a breath of fresh air in terms of progress and upliftment of the lower starts of the society as this simple legislation opened up avenues for the people who are at a disadvantage in terms of social and economic upliftment.
The basic points outlined in the RTE Act, 2009 are free and compulsory education which obligates the government to ensure every student has access to free and compulsory education in their neighbourhood school till grade 8. There is also a benchmark mandated, teacher to student ratios, separate toilets set working hours etc, i.e., they set out a minimum standard. There is a assured quality and quantity of recruited teachers as well as special care given in cases of specific cases like age-appropriate learning. There is also a zero tolerance policy.
Sam Carlson, the World Bank specialist for India quoted “The RTE Act is the first legislation in the world that puts the responsibility of ensuring enrolment, attendance and completion on the Government. It is the parents’ responsibility to send the children to schools in the US and other countries” and frankly there is no better way to describe the Act. Right to Education Act, is one based on Article 21-A of the Indian Constitution. Article 21-A which states: “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine” is based on the ideals of a literate society. What makes the act distinct is the fact that it while it emphasises on free and compulsory education it refuses to compromise on the quality of education. The act mandates a pupil-teacher ratio that ought o be followed by setting a benchmark, the act also takes into consideration factors like sanitation by applying focus on basic necessities like toilets, drinking water facilities. The act also is understanding of the Indian social structure as it involves the idea of age-appropriate learning. The zero tolerance for discrimination and all-rounded
 Constitution of India, 1950; Article 21-A
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.
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We also have a Facebook Group Restarter Moms for Mothers or Women who would like to rejoin their careers post a career break or women who are enterpreneurs.
We are also running a series Inspirational Women from January 2021 to March 31,2021, featuring around 1000 stories about Indian Women, who changed the world. #choosetochallenge