SC upholds constitutional validity of Right to Education Act
The Times of India, 12 April 2012

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the various provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009. The apex court ruled that the RTE Act would apply to all categories of public and private schools except unaided minority schools. The SC judgement makes it clear that all schools will have to keep aside 25% of seats for poor children.

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Private schools evasive in implementing SC order on Right To Education
The Times of India, 15 April 2012

KANPUR: The Central government's initiative to implement Right To Education Act in all the parts of the country has paved a way for poor and backward children in mainstream education. But the question arises is whether the initiative sufficient to provide education to the poor and backward children? TOI conducted a survey in the schools to know what the management thinks about the issue. Authorities of some schools have welcomed the Supreme Court's order the implementation of RTE.

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India: School revolution on the way?
Global post, 15 April 2012

NEW DELHI, India — in a landmark judgment this week, India's Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a law that requires almost all private schools to reserve 25 percent of their seats for poor students. The decision potentially paves the way for huge changes in primary and secondary school education here. In a country where a quarter of the population is illiterate and the caste system is still alive and well, the move is lauded by some as an equalizer on par with the decision to desegregate American schools in the 1960s.

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What about the right to provide education?
Daily News and Analysis, 16 April 2012

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, known simply as theRTE, came a century after Gopal Krishna Gokhale made an impassioned plea to the Imperial Legislative Council for introducing free and compulsory primary education in India. He said, ‘The state should accept in this country the same responsibility in regard to mass education that the government of most civilised countries are already discharging and that a well-considered scheme should be drawn up and adhered to till it is carried out.

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RTE may spell end for colony schools
The Times of India, 16 April 2012

NEW DELHI: If Right To Education norms are earnestly implemented, the regulations can place privately run neighbourhood schools, currently filling a crucial gap between government-run facilities and elite private schools, at the mercy of an inspector raj. Provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act are fairly draconian in derecognizing schools that fail to fulfill conditions such teacher-student ratios and physical infrastructure within a three-year period since the enactment of the law that will end in March 2013.

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Schools comply with education act
The Times of India, 13 April 2012

PATNA: Around 300 CBSE and ICSE-affiliated private schools in Bihar have already complied with the provisions of Right To Education (RTE) Act, 2009, to reserve 25% seats for poor students, joint director of primary education, R S Singh, said on Thursday. Commenting on the Supreme Court ruling on the RTE Act, Singh said the state government had directed all the private schools early last year to comply with the provisions of the Act.

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Centre needs Rs 2.3 lakh crore to fund RTE initiative
The Times of India, 13 April 2012

NEW DELHI : With the Supreme Court bringing all recognized schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the government will have to boost spending on its flagship programme to meet the estimated Rs 2.3 lakh crore needed to fund the initiative over 2010-2014. RTE has been plagued with fund shortfalls with budgetary provision in the last two years being only half of what was estimated. The HRD ministry received Rs 21,000 crore in 2011-12 instead of Rs 43,903 crore.

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RTE status report
The Pioneer, 10 April 2012

Almost 95.2 per cent of schools are not compliant with the complete set of Right to Education (RTE) infrastructure indicators. These shocking statistics came to light in the two-day RTE Stocktaking Convention which was recently held. The Convention aimed to address the pending gaps and detect the reasons behind the schools missing out on the deadline to meet the basic standard of education as highlighted by the RTE.

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Does Information Improve School Accountability? Results of a Large Randomized Trial
Authors: Pandey P, Goyal S and Sundararaman V

Abstract: The problem of poor quality outcomes is a more general one in various public services across many developing countries. Targeting resources efficiently to communities and getting public workers to perform have remained a challenge for many public services, including education. Weak mechanisms of accountability are a key reason for indifferent service delivery; workers rarely face any censure for their absences or below par performance. Monitoring by the local community—who have a direct stake in the quantity and quality of public services that are available to them—can play a fundamental role in improving public service delivery. To this end, a number of developing countries, including India, are decentralizing control over local public services to local communities.

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Gujarat innovates a new trail in Right to Education
This act has major problems, as has been argued by numerous observers and experts in the field. Click here to read more

What They Said: Supreme Court Upholds Right to Education Act
The law requires schools, both public and private, to give one quarter of their places to low-income children. Click here to read more

To initiate and continue the discussion amongst concerned groups and individuals on the issue of right of education and monitor the implementation
of the RTE Act, an RTE Coalition has been formed. Join the coalition to make universal elementary education a reality in India.

Log on to www.righttoeducation.in
for more information

Skill Vouchers - Global Experiences and Lessons for India

Leah Verghese and Parth J Shah

A study of the role that skill vouchers can play in catalysing demand for quality skill development services. This study examines global experiences with skill vouchers and draws lessons for India from these experiences.

For more click here

Reservation in Private Schools under the Right to Education Act: Model for Implementation

Shekhar Mittal and Parth J Shah

Through this document the Centre for Civil Society seeks to highlight the lacunae in the current framework for 25% reservation for weaker and disadvantaged groups in unaided private schools and seeks to provide inputs on effective implementation of the same.

For more click here

School Vouchers for Girls

400 girl children from poor families of North East Delhi receive school vouchers for a period of 4 years.
For details visit our website

For more details on how to support, log on to www.schoolchoice.in or email us at [email protected]

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