RTE at 15: India's Free Education Promise Falls Short

Fifteen years since the Right to Education Act came into force, India's vision of universal free education is still a distant dream. A mere 25.5% of schools are RTE compliant, with wide urban-rural differences in access to free education. While more than 70% of rural children have access to free primary education, the percentage falls to 30-35% in cities. The major challenges are 8.4 lakh vacancies of teachers, infrastructure shortages, and falling enrolments. The 2025 budget is pivotal, with analysts urging more funds over and above the existing 2% to deal with underlying problems and narrow the digital gap widened by the pandemic.

 

Sources: IT for Change, Media India Group, Careers360