Practical constraints in RTE Act

THE TRIBUNE, APRIL 30, 2010, P. 10
Need to remove bottlenecks in RTE
Harish Dhillon’s article, “Assessing school education” (Education Page, April 27) accentuates the urgency for a thorough brainstorming on various aspects of the Right to Education (RTE) Act for its efficacious implementation.
The thorny challenges like defining and identifying the neighbourhood schools, modalities for enrollments towards 25 per cent quota in private unaided schools (since screening test is banned), furnishing of adequate physical infrastructure and human resources, the rationale of substituted admission criterion of ‘skill-appropriate class’ with ‘age-appropriate class’, repercussions of keeping admissions open round the year and compulsory promotion of children to the next class from the standpoint of qualitative education need to be addressed immediately after eliciting the views of all stakeholders.
The RTE Act, if implemented, in its true spirit, which is possible only through collaboratory efforts of all facets of the state and civil society, will transform the constitutional vision of egalitarianism into reality.
RAJENDER GOYAL, Bahadurgarh (Haryana)