Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Right to Education Act: poor and the marginalised who will bear
the brunt of this neglect. As it is today the
T
To argue that alternative schools he article “Feasibility of Implemen- groups – especially, dalit, tribal and new
or private schooling can take tation of Right to Education Act” migrants in rural and urban areas. The
(20 June 2009) by Pankaj S Jain hierarchies of access in schooling have
care of the needs of primary
and Ravindra H Dholakia merits a serious been well-documented.
school-going children (“Feasibility debate in the country. This comment is re-
of Implementation of Right to stricted to the fourth section of that article Quality of Education
Education Act”, EPW, 20 June on the policy implications. Furthermore, the authors observe:
156 july 11, 2009 vol xliv no 28 EPW Economic & Political Weekly
discussion
slums. The little work done in this sphere reasons, then the case for increasing per- whereby all schools – private or govern-
shows that private schools in these areas child investment in government primary ment – are made accountable to ensuring
are little more than poorly resourced schools (and further, middle school children learn and are provided a nurtur-
teaching shops, where children learn lit- and high school) becomes all the more ing environment for development. The
tle and the schools themselves are ram- compelling. right to education is not about optimal
shackle, and in many areas, unsafe. We need to invest more on the most allocation of funds between different
Therefore, there is a need to be wary of disadvantaged and deprived and ensure sectors of education – it is about ensuring
the “voucher” model. that they access the best quality educa- that every single child has access to
tion so that we can proactively “neutral- education of comparable quality at all
Conclusion ise the accumulated distortions of the levels. It will be going against the spirit
Recent surveys (ASER 2008 being the lat- past” (National Policy on Education, of this right, if we relegate the poor to AS/
est) have shown that the percentage of 1986: 4.2, government of India). Yes, this AIE in order to increase investment at
students opting to go to private schools may pose a huge challenge to educational other levels.
has been steadily increasing and it is the planners. Given the steady growth of the
most marginalised, and among them gross domestic product (notwithstanding Reference
girls, who continue to enrol and attend the hiccups of 2008 and 2009), the gov- Ramachandran, Vimala, Kameshwari Jandhyala
and Aarti Saihjee (2003): “Through the Life
government schools. If this trend contin- ernment has to make resources available Cycle of Children: Factors Determining Suc
cessful Primary School Completion, Economic
ues, and if the people who can pay opt and we have to create a strong and au- & Political Weekly, No 47, Vol XXXVIII,
out of government schools for a variety of tonomous quality assurance mechanism, 22 November.
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Economic & Political Weekly EPW july 11, 2009 vol xliv no 28 157