The deteriorating standard of primary education in the country would emerge as a major problem in the near future. Social activist Professor Virendra Painuli said this while presiding over a State-level conference on Right to Education organised by the RTE Forum, Uttarakhand, in Dehradun on Sunday. Addressing the gathering, Painuli said that the RTE Act will have to be implemented effectively. He stressed on the need for avoiding the juggling of data and execution of responsibilities efficiently on the ground in order to talk of facilitating the desired education.
Painuli pointed out that the activities of employees’ union, inquiries of schools, decreasing number of students in schools and mutual differences are raising questions on efforts aimed at ensuring the desired level of education. Speaking about the various legal aspects of the RTE Act, RTE Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Uttarakhand coordinator Arun Bisht said that an amendment has been made in section 38 of the act. Following this, the rights of the block education officer, district education officer, teacher and education director.
The responsibilities of Panchayats have also been ascertained in the act. There is provision in section 29 of the act for facilitating special training for drop out children while capitation fee and service charge have been prohibited in this act, he informed. Speaking on the occasion, RTE Forum head Raghu Tiwari said that the RTE is a progressive act. The Kothari commission had stated that 6 per cent of the gross domestic income should be spent on education but even now about 3.6 per cent of the GDI is being spent on education.
He said that last year, the Uttarakhand Government had spent Rs48 crore under the RTE. Considering that the nation at present needs 12 lakh teachers with the State of Uttarakhand in need of 18,000 teachers, the condition of teachers will also have to improve for the level of education to improve, said Tiwari.
RTE expert Vijay Bhatt said that that compulsory education was enacted in Britain during 1809 but when Gopal Krishna Gokhale had demanded the right to education in 1906, his demand was opposed. Basic district education officer, Tehri, SP Semwal said that there is need to implement the RTE Act in the modern context.
Though capitation fee, donations and screening of applicants is prohibited in private schools under the act, these have not yet been effectively stopped. Not a single prominent school has been penalised yet for continuing these violations.
Semwal said that many are feeling that making it compulsory to pass students by not failing them in examinations has affected the quality of education. The examination system along cannot guarantee improved education quality and development of the children. There is need for evaluating the children according to their own level, stressed Semwal.