Indian Education Reform: HRD Ministry Mulls Extending RTE Ambit To Class XII From Previous Upper Limit Of Class VIII

According to senior officials, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is considering the proposal to extend the ambit of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, including students up till Class XII, reports The New Indian Express.

The RTE Act currently applies to children between the ages of six and 14 and classes I to VIII. The act also requires all private schools barring minority institutions to reserve 25 per cent of seats for underprivileged children.

A sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) recommended the extension of the RTE act, according to a report submitted in 2012.

“A proposal regarding an extension of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, is under consideration of the ministry. Any decision in this regard would be intimated, once it is examined thoroughly,” said a senior HRD Ministry official in a letter written to education activist Ashok Agarwal.

The letter was sent in response to Agarwal’s representation to the ministry recommending the extension of the RTE Act to Class XII.

“There is no proposal for extending the ambit of RTE Act, 2009 at present. However, in pursuance of the announcement in the budget this year to treat school and education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class XII, the education department has prepared an Integrated Scheme on School Education,” said HRD Minister for State Satya Pal Singh.