MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (Dr. SHASHI THAROOR)
(a): The Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act provides that a specified category school and unaided private school shall admit in class I (or pre-primary as the case may be), to the extent of twenty-five per cent of the strength of that class, children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in the neighbourhood and provide free and compulsory elementary education till its completion.
(b) to (d): It is the responsibility of the State Governments to monitor the implementation of the provisions of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act by schools. The information, regarding the number of children admitted in the various unaided schools of the country in pursuance of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act is not centrally maintained. Many unaided private schools across the country had filed several Writ Petitions before the Hon’ ble Supreme Court challenging various provisions of the RTE Act, including Section 12(1)(c). The Hon’ ble Supreme Court in its judgement dated 12th April, 2012 has upheld the constitutional validity of the RTE Act.
(e):The RTE Act provides for the monitoring of a child’ s rights under the Act by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) and for redressal of grievances by the local authorities.
(f):The Government had launched a nation-wide campaign titled ‘Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan’ on 11th November, 2011 for community mobilization and public awareness of the provisions of the RTE Act including the provision under section 12(1) (c). The campaign includes school level interactions with children, teachers and community members, as well as media and communication efforts.
