RTE Full Form

RTE stands for Right to Education which is a concept of providing high-quality education to all children, irrespective of caste, creed, gender and socio-economic background. It is one of the most important fundamental rights which aims to create a socially just and egalitarian society as it is a vehicle to combat poverty.  It is an essential human right without which the child cannot possibly have a meaningful life with dignity and worth.

RTE: Full Form

RTE is an abbreviation of Right to Education which is a human right set out in Article 21-A of the Indian Constitution that guarantees free and compulsory education for all children ages 6 to 14. This is possible through the establishment of Government schools, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and the Unique Schools on a public-private partnership basis.

Importance of Right to Education

Right to Education serves as an engine for social transformation by addressing deep-rooted inequalities in society through accelerated social mobility and promoting social equity. 

To ensure that every child receives a good quality education in school by fostering their potential for excellence now starts from early childhood – at home, within the community and at school.

The right to Education is one of the most important fundamental rights of the people because it helps children to access schooling, ensuring that they reach a basic level. This education provides a platform for the healthy development of personal and social life. 

RTE has played a vital role in creating a socially just and equitable society as it ensures the elimination and reduction of inequality in society.

Need for Right to Education in India

To ensure that every child receives a good quality education in school by fostering their potential for excellence now starts from early childhood – at home, within the community and at school. While RTE is an essential human right without which the child cannot possibly have a meaningful life with dignity and worth. Hence the need for RTE is felt all over the world. 

The provisions of the Right to Education under Article 21-A are given to children aged six to 14 years. All Central and State Governments have to provide free and compulsory education from the primary level up to higher secondary level or degree in any discipline which they want to implement free of cost through their own public sector schools, public-private partnership model (PPP), Private sector, etc. To make this possible, a mandatory provision has been given through Point number 10 of Article 21A that states that every child will be provided transportation facilities at his/her own expense when going for school sittings whether it be in metropolitan cities or remote areas like the Himalayas.

What is the benefit of the Right to Education? 

The Right to Education Act, 2009(RTE) gives the benefit of free primary education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years. As per the 2009 Act, RTE has opened up entry and exit points with a time limit within which every child should complete his/her elementary education. The child without completing this period cannot be denied admission in any school or if he/she has been studying till that point, he/she cannot be expelled from school for any reason whatsoever. The main purpose of the RTE Act is to provide equal opportunity in education for every citizen of India. This is done by providing free and compulsory education to children in the age group of 6-14 years.

Benefits of the Right to Education Act, 2009 

1. Free and Compulsory Education:

All children between the ages of 6-14 years are provided free and compulsory education in neighbourhood schools till their 14th year. According to this Act, all schools, private or government ones from primary level up to higher secondary level will be provided with financial assistance to impart quality education without any caste, creed, gender or social background discrimination. This gives equal opportunity for every child irrespective of his/her family circumstances to attend school.

2. Data Collection:

Every school is required to collect data about the children for tracking their progress of each child. This will include age, sex, district and school. The data collected by the schools will be used for tracking the progress of these children in the entire country.

3. Meticulousness:

The above data will be submitted to district management committees as well as state government and there is the provision of penalty for non-completion of data collection from time to time during a period of 5 years or more.

3. Perks for students:

Right to Education includes the provision of free textbooks and uniforms along with free mid-day meals.

Teachers’ Eligibility Criteria

The teacher is required to have a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in the concerned subject and also have teaching experience. He/She should have passed the examination conducted by the National Council for Teachers’ Education (NCTE) or its equivalent examination accepted by NCTE.

Other Important Features of RTE 

1. There is provision for the appointment of safety officers in schools so that there is no negligence on part of any teacher, headmaster, etc., as far as child safety is concerned.
2. The school will have compulsory playgrounds and one teacher per 5 children.
3. The Act has the provision of sanctioning a sum of rupees 10 crores to develop infrastructure and to purchase books, etc., within 3 years from the date of commencement of this Act by the government.
4. Every child between 6-14 years is entitled to the right to education in any particular language as per his/her choice.

All schools are required to provide mid-day meals at affordable prices and school children get free transportation facility for travel to school or vice versa in case he/she lives more than 3 km from a place where the nearest school is located.

Conclusion

The RTE Act is considered the landmark legislation in India aimed at providing free and compulsory elementary education to children between the ages of 6-14 years. Every child falling under SC, ST, OBC or economically weaker sections of society has a right under this Act. Under this Act, parents cannot be denied admission to any school whereas they can admit their children to any school of their choice irrespective of their caste, colour or gender. The government is providing financial assistance to all schools irrespective of whether they are governmental or private. If a child is admitted to a private school then he/she can get all facilities given by the government i.e. uniform, textbooks, mid-day meal and so on.