Articles by Archana Mehendale

Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides for inclusion of children from disadvantaged and weaker sections in private unaided schools. Although meant to foster inclusion and achieve social justice objectives, this legal provision has been highly contested and its implications for the expanding private sector in school education are not fully understood. This article is based on an exploratory study, conducted in Bengaluru and Delhi, which examines the status of implementation of this provision with a view to delineate key issues at the level of state administration, schools and parents. Using qualitative data collected from the two sites, the study compares and comments on the extent to which the provision has been able to deliver on its purported goal of inclusion. It concludes by identifying gaps and challenges that require an urgent policy response.

The notification of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 depends on how soon an acceptable formula for sharing the financial burden between the centre and states is worked out and the model rules are drafted. The committee formulating the model rules could learn from states with well developed codes, legislation and rules on school education and should consider incorporating effective provisions into the central model rules. These can thus become the means to facilitate policy transfers across states.