Arguments against RTEA

One of the important arguments against RTEA is its stringent standards for schools
especially on the facility requirements (like playgrounds, Kitchen for mid-day meal
preparation, student teacher ratio 30:1 for primary classes and 35:1 for others)
would result in the closure of a lot of private schools, which are mostly low cost
schools. Therefore, this puts us in a situation to choose between a bad school and
no school.1
Similarly, this act also mandates that only qualified persons must be appointed as
teachers, and though the act has provided a grace time of 5 years for unqualified
teachers to prepare and clear the eligibility exams conducted by CBSE (Teacher
Eligibility Test), there is still a question on what will happen to the unqualified
teachers after this time, and the steps that will be taken by the government to
address this issue. 2
Another argument against RTEA is with respect to the costs incurred by the private
schools on EWS students. The subsidy provided by the state (equivalent to the
amount spent by the state on one student in the public school) is far too little and
cross subsidization by overcharging other students is not considered fair by
parents of the normal students. 1
Feasibility of RTEA
RTEA has only described what it aims to achieve, and has not taken into account the
operational difficulties present in the existing system. By RTEAs stringent
standards, many private schools will have to be closed and teachers sacked. If this
is done there are no alternatives available. Hence, one of the biggest question mark
on feasibility of RTEA 1.
The last Union Budget saw 23 per cent cut in funds for the flagship Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA), which is the vehicle to fund RTE requirements. Funding for SSA has
further been reduced, thus reducing the money that can be spent on RTEA. Also,
with the increase in Teachers salaries (6th and 7th Pay commissions) there will be
further reduction in the amount available to be spent. 3 There are also various
question marks as to whether RTEA can be implemented successfully even if the
Government allocates 6% of the GDP to education.
Present Status of RTEA
As of March 2015, 3.45 crore children are still out of school. 5 years after
implementation of RTEA, the pass percentage of Teacher Eligibility Test conducted
by CBSE is pathetically low (hovering between 5-8%). With approx. 5.4 lakh
vacancies in teaching post, the government has no choice but to relax the eligibility
criteria (Section 23 and Section 26). The Student Teacher Ratio (is still at 45:1 and
above, especially in private schools). 4,5
A study by IIM-Ahmedabad, Central Square Foundation and Accountability Initiative
reveals that only 29 per cent of the 21 lakh seats reserved for EWS students in
private schools have gone to them. 6

References:
1- Five reasons to scrap this right, Manish Sabharwal, January 12, 2011,
Economic Times
2- Right to Education Act 2009: Critical Gaps and Challenges, Praveen
Jha and Pooja Parvati Economic & Political Weekly March 27, 2010
3- Feasibility of Implementation of Right to Education Act EPW Pankaj
S Jain, Ravindra H Dholakia
4- The wrongs of the Right to Education, March 28, 2015, The Tribune
5- Only one in eighteen aspirants clear teacher eligibility test, Puja
Pednekar, October 09, 2014, Hindustan Times
6- State of the Nation: RTE Section 12(1)(c), Indian Institute of
Management Ahmedabad, Central Square Foundation,
Accountability Initiative (Centre for Policy Research) and Vidhi
Centre for Legal Policy