Educational experts and activists have urged the Union human resource development ministry to withdraw the 86th Constitutional Amendment providing free education in private schools to 25 per cent students from poor and weaker sections of the society as it only helps boost admission in private schools rather than increasing enrolment in government neighbourhood schools.
The 86th Constitutional Amendment substitutes Article 45, which the Supreme Court had already declared as fundamental right in various cases and reaffirmed in Samacheer Kalvi case last year, said the general secretary, State Platform for Common School System, P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu.
The amendment also modifies Article 51 A and includes a sub-section (k), thereby making it fundamental duty of the parents to provide education to their children, Babu said.
“The amendment included article 21A, which states that the state shall provide free and compulsory education for all children between 6 and 14 years of age in such manner the state may determine by law.
Earlier the age limit was 0 to 6 years. With this amendment, the state will provide free education from 6 to 14 years only,” he said.
The Right to Education (RTE) Act slowly pushes students to private schools, by providing 25 per cent reservation for disadvantaged group and weaker section in private schools at state expense.
“The much touted RTE Act has not succeeded in ensuring access to school education of equitable standard for all children, as the RTE Act is the outcome of 86th amendment.
Even without the RTE Act we were getting education. The 25 per cent free education does not reach the needy,” eminent academician S.S. Rajagopalan
said.