Presentation made on the Status of the implementation of the RTE Act during the first year made during the inaugural session of the Peoples' Stocktaking.

1. Status of Implementation of the Right to
Education Act: The First Year
Some Preliminary Findings

2. About the Report
• Right to Education is one year old- citizens want to know the status
• Look at what has worked and what has not.
• If something was done, and done well in some state, appreciate it. Draw
recommendations for others
• If something not done: Hold government to account, see potential role of
civil society
• Report is a draft- inputs required.
• Would be finalized only after consultation
• Prepared by networks and agencies themselves based on our collective
knowledge. Sources: Government Reports, Network reports, media coverage
of issues. Drafting team process
• Highlighted, lack of transparent systematic sources of info. in public domain

3. Preparation Status
• Revision of SSA Framework in line RTE
• State Rules: Only 5 States- AP, Arunachal, Orissa, Sikkim, Manipur. 2 got Cabinet
approval
• Proposed amendments for persons with disability not yet passed
• School Management Committees- First line of grievance redressal- not formed in
majority states
• SCPCR: 11 States, REPA: 3 more.
• NCPCR/SCPCR/ MHRD: Human Resources
• Delayed Start to implementation over question of resources
• Additional Resources for RTE: 8,522 Crores in last financial year.
• MHRD Asked for 34,000 Crores for SSA in 2011-12, received 21,000. In contrast,
government estimates 7,907 crore spent on Commonwealth Games last year.
• Persistent under spending- late release of money, need for additional account staff,
occasional mismatch between community need and supply
• 18% schools (2009-10) did not receive TLM grant
• Children under six under the Act: Clause not fully implemented
• Talk of extension of RTE to secondary education

4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
• RTE Provides considerable space for nation’s citizens coming out in support
of their schools and strengthening national public education system
• However, awareness of Key Provisions limited: 6m into the Act, 1 in 6 people
knew the Act existed. Under 3% aware of NCPCR/SCPCR.
• SMCs not in place in large number of States: Despite deadline of 6m across
country
• Consequently, School Development Plans not prepared in states. Bottom up
process of planning, strategizing to lay direction of each school not
happened. Deadline was 9 months
• SMCs for aided schools? Unaided school lacked them from the start
• Local Authorities: Largely ignored in discourse, preparation. Local Authorities
control majority of elementary schools in 4 States. Previous legislations
like PESA, PRI Acts, 73d and 74th Constitutional Amendments hold great
potential for supporting RTE Act provisions

5. Teachers
• RTE Act seeks to redress consistent problem of teacher shortages- MHRD
Estimate 12 lakh additional trained teachers needed for Act’s implementation.
UP: Situation particularly grave.
• Recruitment started in a few states.
• First time, consistent norms for teacher qualification. National Curriculum
Framework for Teacher Education. Teacher Eligibility Tests. ? Translated on
ground
• 2009-10, 1 in 5 teachers not compliant with old norms. Hiring parateachers
not stopped.
• JRM of SSA: Number of untrained teachers more than training capacity
• Minimum Working Days for Teachers: Over 50% Upper Primary Schools
(2009-10) did not reach new target levels
• Non Teaching Work: Curtailed, but would require secretarial support
• 40% Schools lack head teachers: Lack of specific training of HMs- National
Program being considered
• Onsite support systems weak

6. INCLUSION
• Dropout- Gov. 8.1 million. In practice higher. Migrants, child labourers. Street Children,
Children living with and affected by HIV AIDS, trafficked children
• Closure of small schools due to “rationalization” risk for those in “remote” areas
• Long Standing Issues of Exclusion of some social groups. Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims ,
Girls disproportionately likely to drop out. Sacchar Committee Recommendations.
• RTE Reiterates instruction in mother Tongue- but no significant change on the ground.
• School Fees: Arjun Sengupta 70% of India on Rs 20 a day
• Children with Disability: PWD Act being amended. Figures Gross under-estimate, 1.5
population disabled in India, but 9% in US? Single resource teacher for 242 identified
disabled children, 10 States/UTs lack even a single teacher receiving trained on disability
• Child Labour: Still not illegal. Children in Agriculture outside purview. NCLP ?
• Areas of Civil Unrest: Schools targeted by Naxalite groups. Army occupation not ended
• Private Schools- Compulsory Recognition. Need to adhere to new norms. Issues of
inclusiveness and equity. 25% Quota.
• PPP: An emerging risk?
• Larger question of multiple strands equity: KVs vs Mainstream Gov Schools, Elite
Private vs Government Schools

7. QUALITY
• Shortage of Upper Primary Schools
• At time when RTE Came into force: 1 in 10 schools lacked drinking water, 45%
lacked a toilet, Half lacked a ramp
• Yes, considerable effort , especially in some states, to enhance infrastructure
• 40% Schools (ASER 2009) Not RTE Ready
• 27 States banned corporal punishment in schools. But it continues. Need to
remedy teaching environment, promote positive discipline
• 20 States prohibited detention expulsion. Often being interpreted as no learning
• 26 States, no board examination.
• 22 States planned to move to CCE- however, lack of robust teacher training
systems?
• 14 States reviewed curriculum to align with NCF
• Teaching Methodologies: 30% classrooms have some form of group work.
“Chalk and Talk”
• Learning Outcomes??

8. How does it all come together?
• Policy Changes happening, albeit slowly
• BUT, all or almost all ground level deadlines either missed or at risk of being
missed
• Mechanisms of ambitious vision being translated into reality not completely
clear
• Implementation has been slow, Lot of initial time lost
• However, situation is not beyond remedy!
• Issues need to be pushed more given the time bound deadlines and the legally
justiciable nature of provisions
• Civil Society support for a concerted push to ensure implementation of RTE
minimum norms in direction of equitable, quality education of all the young
citizens of the country and setting up of a comprehensive system of public
education system along the lines of a common school system

9. Still the Beginning?