Coming, change in Right to Education Act

Within six months of Parliament passing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, the cabinet is expected to consider first amendment to include differently-abled children within the ambit of the law.

Within six months of Parliament passing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, the cabinet is expected to consider first amendment to include differently-abled children within the ambit of the law.

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The law, also known as the Right to Education (RTE) Act, will undergo changes following protests from disability rights groups and minority schools.

A week after the Act came into being, the Prime Minister’s Office had written to the human resource development (HRD) ministry, asking it to address the concerns of disabled rights groups. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had also assured Parliament in August that all categories of disabled children would get the benefits of the RTE Act.

The Act proposes free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. It makes it binding on all public and private schools to reserve 25 per cent of seats for children from “disadvantaged sections”.

Section 3 states that the “disadvantaged sections” will cover children with disabilities as specified under the Persons With Disabilities Act. But the Act is not quite comprehensive as it leaves out several disabilities like cerebral palsy, autism and other mental disorders.

Another Section of the RTE Act that requires setting up of School Management Committees will also be amended not to include minority institutions, as it can’t override Article 30 of the Constitution.

Under Article 30, minorities are allowed to run and administer their own educational institutions. The government can only intervene in cases of alleged corruption.