Right to Education

On the day of reinforcement of the Constitution, 26th January 1950, a directive principle

mentioned in Article 45 assured provision of free and compulsory education to every child

from the age of 6 to 14 years which was to be executed within a decade. However, this

principle was actually implemented almost 6 decades later, on 27 th August 2009, in the form

of an act, known as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. ‘Free

education’ implies that no child, other than one who is admitted by his/her parents into a

school not supported by the government, can avoid paying any kind of fee which may prevent

him/her from completing elementary education.The Right to Education Act helped more than

3.4 million underprivileged children to pursue elementary education, despite the shortage of

teachers and infrastructural problems in government schools. It succeeded in making

education inclusive and accessible nationwide and resulted in increase in the literacy rate of

India. However, despite the government’s efforts, more than 1.7 million children were still

left uneducated and incapable in the country. After the occurrence of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions relied on

technology for continuing classes. However, most students belonging to economically weaker

sections of society, lacked access to the internet and electronic gadgets. In a country like

India, where about one third the population faces poverty and starvation, electronics are

considered a luxury. In fact, only about 20% of the families in India have access to the

internet and hardly 11% own a computer. Only 18.3% of children in rural areas could afford

video recordings, and only about 8% had the privilege to attend online classes. More than 247

million children faced challenges due to the closure of millions of schools nationwide. This

led to a break in the learning algorithm of students and forced a major setback in the

educational sector of India.Even after the re-opening of educational institutions all over the

country after closing down of the pandemic, no revival of an educational environment was

seen. In many underdeveloped regions of the country, students used to attend school for the

sole purpose of receiving a midday meal, by the Mid Day Meal scheme, which was now out

of the picture. For students coming from underprivileged backgrounds where scarcity of food

and other resources is the biggest worry, education is not considered a priority. Hence, there

was a lack of interest shown by students, especially the ones from economically weaker

sections, towards continuation of education after the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, most students, especially those who were economically disadvantaged,

faced several challenges in recalling basic concepts like reading, writing, framing sentences

and simple mathematics. Their attention spans were disrupted as they found it challenging to

stay focused for a prolonged period of time. According to a recent study, about 92% of

children lost language skills while 82% faced challenges in solving basic mathematics. This

led to an inevitable learning crisis in the nation which can prove to be a hazard for the future

of the country’s growth in the field of education. Education is a basic right for every child and plays a crucial role in their growth and

development. It's through education that children gain the knowledge, skills, and values

needed for their personal and social advancement. Despite being acknowledged as a

fundamental right, countless children around the world still lack access to education. This

blog post delves into the right to education for children, the constitutional provisions that

support it, and its significance in shaping our society's future.