Only a ‘slight increase’ in proportion of elementary schools after RTE Act implementation, says report

A recent status report reveals that the decade following the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act-2009) saw only a “slight increase” in the number of elementary schools compared to the previous decade’s significant growth.

Between 2000-01 and 2010-11, the number of elementary schools grew by 61.22%, from 845,007 to 1.36 million. However, from 2010-11 to 2020-21, the increase was just 5.5%, reaching 1.44 million.

The peak was in 2017-18, with 14.9 million elementary schools, but numbers dropped by 4.5% to 14.3 million in 2020-21, with this decline occurring only in government schools, which decreased by 5.5% (from 1.14 million in 2010-11 to 1.07 million in 2020-21). 

Unaided private schools

In contrast, unaided private schools grew by 61.9%, rising from 193,722 in 2010-11 to 313,567 in 2020-21, according to the report titled “Implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: Where Do We Stand”, released by the Right to Education Cell (RTE Cell) and the Council for Social Development (CSD), New Delhi.

The RTE Act, effective from April 1, 2010, mandates the fundamental right to education for all children aged 6 to 14.

However, primary school enrolment saw a 9.8% decline in 2020-21 compared to 2010-11. From 2000-01 to 2010-11, primary school enrolment grew by 18.9% (from 113.8 million to 135.3 million). For upper primary schools, enrolment rose by 13.85% from 2010-11 to 2020-21 (from 57.8 million to 65.9 million), compared to a 45% increase (from 42.8 million to 62.1 million) in the previous decade.

Govt. school enrolment

The report noted a decrease in government school enrolment. In 2009-10, government schools enrolled 78.5% of students in both primary and upper primary levels, but this dropped to 64.4% in primary and 67.9% in upper primary by 2021-22. During the same period, private school enrolment increased from 21% in 2009-10 to 31.9% in primary and 29.9% in upper primary. A slight decline in private school enrolment occurred in 2021-22, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led some students to shift from private to government schools amid extended closures.

The analysis reveals that from 2000-01 to 2010-11, significant progress in universal access and enrolment was achieved, largely due to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) initiative. “However, since the enactment of the RTE Act, efforts towards universal access and enrolment have waned. This is evident from the decline of government schools and the rise of private schools, both in number and enrolment, indicating a neglect of government schools. Though there was a temporary shift back to government schools in 2021-22 due to the pandemic, the overall trend favours private education,” the report said.

Neighbourhood schools

According to the report, 85.63% of rural habitations had primary schools within 1 km, and 80.91% had upper primary schools within 3 km. In urban areas, 87.2% of households had access to primary schools within 1 km. However, Scheduled Tribe (ST) habitations had less access, with about 10% of children from ST areas travelling more than 5 km for upper primary schooling.

Niranjanaradhya V.P., National Convener of the RTE Cell and education rights activist, stated, “The right to education is a fundamental and justiciable right in the Constitution. However, it has been diluted, derailed, and demeaned over the past 10 years. It is time to reclaim this right in the best interests of the country’s children.”

(This is the third and final part of the series)

Published - November 07, 2024 06:11 am IST