Is Education FREE?

After independence, we have gone through several literacy drives. Only 75% our total population is literate. That means we have not achieved cent percent literacy in our country. It took sixty three years to declare free and compulsory education for all the children of India as Right to Education bill became an ACT last year.

Right to Education Act emphasizes that all the private schools that are taking plump fees should also give admission to disadvantaged, underprivileged, weaker sections of the students. So, eight years of elementary education becomes the responsibility of the states. This Act has also set several norms and standards for all Educational Institutions in India to nurture poorer and weaker section of the society and to prevent young children from dropping out of the schools.

Govt of India has directed all the states to implement RTE ACT. But several states are hesitating to implement the ACT because of large number of private schools having vested interests. Private schools are not willing to admit children with lesser fees or no fees. Though Education is the Fundamental Right of all children, it is alarming that a large number of children are either dropping out of schools or they are not enrolled in any schools.

Several states have not implemented the RTE ACT. Education Boards are not insisting on the schools to implement the ACT. It is very clear that politicians want certain percent of our country’s population to be illiterate and uneducated for the sake votes. ASER, facilitated by NGO Pratham has released several alarming but interesting facts with respect to children not attending the school or dropping out of schools; the number of children leaving govt schools and joining private schools, etc.

The statistics by Pratham, an NGO, shows that either many children are dropping out of the schools or not joining any schools. Another finding by Pratham is that children living in the rural areas are leaving Government schools and joining private schools. Government and the concerned boards of Education should analyse the situation and speed up the implementation of RTE in schools.

The following table gives us a complete picture on the number of children not attending schools.

Age Group in years	Sex	% Not in Schools (Not enrolled and dropped out)
7-10	Boys	1.8
7-10	Girls	2.1
11-14	Boys	4.4
11-14	Girls	5.2
15-16	Boys	14.6
15-16	Girls	16.1

Children not joining any school or dropping out of the schools should be of great concern for the nation. Dropping out of school or not joining school implies poor economic background. Many a time children drop out of their schools not on their own but they are pushed out of the system because of certain rules and regulations laid down by the schools and concerned Education Boards.

Extremely poor class manual laborers or workers are not sensitive to the need for education of their children due to abject poverty. They push their children also into a work culture for earning a few more rupees. Schools are not supportive to child laborers. So, poor working children do not feel comfortable and do not have the sense of belonging to their schools. Schools also in turn want to get rid of such children to improve their Board Exam pass percentage. So, Children dropping out of schools and not joining schools are mainly due to poverty.

Children are the building blocks of a nation. In our country children are the most neglected lots. What will be the condition of our country after a decade or two if children are not given proper education and training? Govt of India should appoint officials and separate governing bodies to inspect schools in villages and towns to ensure proper teaching and instruction in schools. They should also verify whether RTE ACT is implemented in spirit and NOT in paper.