Q. With reference to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, consider the following statements:
1.This Act made education a fundamental right in India for children between the ages of 6 and 14.
2.The primary objective of the Act is to ensure education from pre-school to eighth standard.
3.The Act mandates that all private schools must reserve 15% of their seats for children from socially disadvantaged and economically weaker sections.
4.The Act prohibits any screening procedure for admission to ensure non-discrimination and equal access to education.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation –
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The 86th Amendment to the Constitution inserted Article 21A, which made education a fundamental right for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. Although the RTE Act, 2009, explicitly applies to children aged between six and 14, the Madras High Court ruled that this does not preclude younger children from being admitted to kindergarten under the Act. The Court emphasized that the primary objective of the RTE Act is to ensure education from pre-school to eighth standard. The RTE Act prohibits any screening procedure for admission to ensure non-discrimination and equal access to education.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The RTE Act mandates that private unaided schools reserve 25% of their seats for children from socially disadvantaged and economically weaker sections.
Source: The Hindu
