Education for All
Every child has the right to free primary education, says Article 28 of the UN convention on the rights of the child. In 1986, the National Policy on Education had vowed to provide free and compulsory education to all childern upto 14 years of age before the 21st century. India has the largest number of illiterates in the world. Of the 130 million out-of-school children in the world, more than 100 million are in India (60 percent girls), of these (6-14 age group) 30 million have never enrolled in a school. For millions of childern, who do not know where their next meal will come from, education is perhaps a luxury. With 150 million childern enrolled and an army of 30 lakh teachers, we can boast of the world’s largest elementary education system. The national literacy rate has increased from 15 percent in 1951 to 64 percent in 1998. All state governments have abolished tuition fees in government schools upto the upper primary level. Of 25 states, 15 states and four UTs have passed legislative acts making primary education compulsory. Though access to primary education, retention of students and quality of education have improved, the task of universalisation of elementary education is far from complete.
There have been several milestones marking India’s commitment to elementary education. In 1992, the Supreme Court held: “The citizens of the country have a fundamental right to education. The government introduced the 83rd Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Parliament, making right to education from 6-14 years a fundamental right. But the bill which was sent to the Rajya Sabha for discussions may die a natural death, unsung. But laws alone are not enough. Some 60 million girls between 6-14 years of age are out of school. Girls face discrimination, and may not attend school for reasons like distance or their “better utility” at home. It is the social attitude that discourages girls from becoming educated in the belief that they will no longer remain meek and submissive, qualities essential to make them ideal housewives. To make universal elementary education a reality, local communities and Panchayats have to be mobilised. If there is political will, an initiative such as this will find ready support from the community.
