CABE may push for extension of RTE to pre-primary, secondary

The law now provides for free edn in 6-14 yrs age group

The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) is set to discuss a long-standing demand for extending the scope of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act to pre-primary and secondary level at its meeting scheduled to be held here this month.

Most of the members of a sub-committee of the CABE, set up to examine the issue and suggest measures, have favoured bringing education at pre-primary and secondary level under the ambit of RTE Act.

The committee, headed by Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Satya Pal Singh since October 3, 2017, is likely to hold its last meeting later this week to finalise its report.

The panel, which was reconstituted several times since 2011, will submit its report during a two-day CABE committee beginning here on January 15. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar will preside over the meeting.

"Most of us have favoured the extension of RTE to pre-primary and secondary level. The report will be placed before the CABE at its upcoming meeting for its decision," one of the members of the committee told DH.

The RTE Act currently provides for free and compulsory education of only children in the age group of 6-14 years.  

The 23-member committee was first set up by the CABE at its 58th meeting on June 7, 2011, by the UPA government. The then minister of state for HRD Purandeshwari was made its chairperson.

"The committee was set up after it was felt at the CABE meeting that every child in the country, irrespective of gender, caste, class or community, must have the right to at least 10 years of formal schooling," an official said.

However, the committee under Purandeshwari could not finalise its report.

The CABE in its 63rd meeting held on August 19, 2015, decided to reconstitute the panel on the subject. Accordingly, the subcommittee was reconstituted on April 4, 2016, under the chairmanship of the then MoS HRD Ram Shankar Katheria.

As Katheria was later removed from the ministry and Satya Pal Singh, former Mumbai top cop, took over last year, the ministry had to reconstitute the committee to appoint Singh as its chairperson.

The CABE, headed by the Union HRD minister, is the highest advisory body on education with all state education ministers and representatives from various government departments, non-government organisations, academicians and other eminent persons as its members.