Education is the lifeblood of civilization, the main tool of progress. It is the capital of the comprehensive development of a nation and a society. The modern education system in our country started in 1857. In that year, the British Government established universities in Calcutta, Madras (Chennai), and Bombay (Mumbai). In 1836, the first primary school was established in Assam in at Shadia. The establishment of this school marked the beginning of a new horizon of education in Assam and primary schools were established almost simultaneously in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Guwahati. After independence, the state governments were made responsible for the education system in every state of our country. However, after the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, the Central Government was able to actively participate in education in all parts of the country. Since 1986, India has introduced a 'New Education Policy' and two schemes, the National Policy of Education and the Program of Action, have been adopted. The scheme was amended and added in 1992 although teaching is conducted under this scheme in various states of the country. The scheme emphasizes equality of education, adult education as a mass movement and women's education.
There is a lot of experimentation and thought in the education system at present. Efforts have been made to improve the quality of education by including and excluding school subjects at various levels. Schemes have been taken to improve the quality of students by changing textbooks, teaching methods, new approaches to teaching etc.
In 1990, the International Conference on Education for All, held in Jamtian, Thailand, agreed to universalize primary education by resolving to reduce illiteracy worldwide within the fortieth century. It outlines a program to ensure quality free and compulsory education for all children and children from ethnic minority communities by 2015 and sets six key objectives of free for all children aged 6 to 14 years under Article 45 of the Constitution of India and various schemes are adopted to achieve the objectives of universal primary education by adopting compulsory primary education as a guiding policy. These schemes include Operation Blackboard, Restructured and Restructured Teacher Training System, District Primary Education Scheme, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Non-Formal Education , Education Guarantee Scheme, Alternative and Innovative Education Systems, Janshala Scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have contributed significantly to bridging the gaps in achieving the goals of universal education. The 86th Amendment to the Constitution of India, 2002 paved the way for the enactment of the right to free and compulsory education in The Act of 2009 seeks to create an environment for every child to receive quality education without any discrimination and exclusion so that quality education and appropriate education systems are implemented for all. As a result, quality education, equality, non-discrimination and the right to education ensure the freedom of children.
The Right to Free and Compulsory Education of Children Act, 2009 was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha on July 20, 2009. The Act was approved by the President on August 26, 2009 and published in the Union Gazette on August 27 of the same year. The Act came into force in all States and Union Territories of India except Jammu and Kashmir from April 1, 2010, according to a notification published in the Gazette.
According to the Free and Compulsory Education of Children Act, 2009, Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, Zila Parishads, Anchalik Parishads, Nagar Committee , Gaon Panchayats and similar institutions are considered as local authorities and such authorities are empowered to control schools within their designated areas. Instead, it directed every parent and guardian to enroll their children born or raised in schools near their homes and to ensure that every child completes primary education smoothly. In this regard, the members of the school management committee (SMC), local authorities and the local community have also given the responsibility to raise awareness among the parents who do not allow their children or foster children to go to school. Article 21(a) of the Constitution of India stipulates that all children aged 6 to 14 years must complete primary education within the stipulated time. Therefore, in line with Article 21(a) of the Constitution, the Compulsory Education Act also limited the age limit of children to 6 to 14 years. Therefore, the scope of primary education in the country's education system is limited to children aged 6 to 14 years from class I to class VIII.
Section 4 of the Act states that if a child over the age of 6 is not enrolled in school or has not completed his education, the child shall be enrolled in a class appropriate to his age. For example, if a 9-year-old child who does not go to school at all comes to enroll in school, since he is 9 years old, he will have to be enrolled in class IV. The Act also provides for the right of a child to transfer from one school to another in order to complete primary education. This Act shall also apply to any government aided school outside or within the State.
Section 12 of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act defines the responsibilities of teachers and schools as follows:
1. All schools established, controlled or owned by the Government or local authority concerned shall provide free and compulsory primary education and pre-school education to all children enrolled.
2. All aided schools shall provide free and compulsory primary education and pre-school education (if any) to children in proportion to the annual grant or assistance received by those institutions.
3. All special classified schools and non-aided schools shall enroll children from weaker and underprivileged sections of the neighboring areas in 25 per cent of the total seats in first class and shall provide free and compulsory education to the children till completion of primary education.
According to Section 15, a child can be enrolled in a school at the beginning of the academic year or within an extended period determined on a state basis. As provided in Section 14, a birth certificate or other document prescribed by State statute shall be admissible as proof of age for admission. However, no child shall be denied enrollment in school on the grounds of lack of age certificate. According to Section 13, no donation or capitation fee not mentioned in the notice can be collected during admission and selection tests cannot be conducted.
The Right to Education Act 2009 also states that -
1. If a school charges an admission fee, a fine of up to ten times that fee shall be imposed.
2. A fine of up to Rs. 25,000 for the first time and up to Rs. 50,000 for the subsequent stages shall be imposed if a school conducts a selection test for admission and violates it.
3. No child shall be physically or mentally abused. Disciplinary action will be taken against anyone who causes physical or mental abuse in accordance with the Rules of Service.
4. Every school shall have a School Management Committee and the Committee shall consist of elected representatives of the local authorities. Three-quarters of the total members of the committee shall be parents or guardians. There must be a parent or guardian from a disadvantaged group or vulnerable group. 50 per cent of the total membership shall be women. The School Management Committee will prepare and implement the 'School Development Plan' and monitor the overall functioning of the school.
5. The Government or local authorities shall ensure the prescribed student-teacher ratio in schools.
6. No teacher shall be employed in any non-academic activity except for ten-year census, disaster relief activities or election related duties.
7. No teacher shall be involved in private tutoring.
8. After the implementation of this Act, no school outside the jurisdiction of the Government or local authority shall remain without certificate or recognition of that authority.
9. There shall be separate toilets for boys and girls.
10. There shall be access to clean and adequate drinking water for all children.
11. Schools must have kitchens for mid-day meals.
12. There shall be a fence in the playground and school grounds.
13. Every school should have a library.
14. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS shall also be encouraged to receive primary education with equal facilities, security and full participation.
15. Minimum working days of 200 and 400 hours of teaching from class I to class V. Ensure a minimum of 220 days and 1000 hours of teaching from class VI to class VIII.
16. Each teacher shall spend 45 hours a week in school ie an average of 7 hours 30 minutes daily. Apart from the daily schedule, teachers spend additional time preparing learning aspects ie lesson planning for the next day, preparing Teaching and Learning Materials (T.L.M.) and assessing students' classes and homework, contacting parents for regularization of absences, school Determine the program of implementation of development plans and take measures to improve the needs of students who are not progressing equally academically.
According to Section 18, after the entry into force of this Act, schools other than those established by the Government concerned or local authorities may establish or conduct activities only after obtaining a certificate of recognition from the Government concerned. However, schools must meet the conditions mentioned in the Act and achieve certain standards for recognition. In case of violation of the conditions for recognition, the authority may revoke the recognition of such school by a written order.
Needless to say, every parent or guardian naturally wants their children to lead a happy and successful life by receiving proper and excellent education. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, which came into force in 2010, has brought such an opportunity for everyone and is moving towards building an inclusive school. The Right to Education Act emphasizes that schools should be more child-centered and that learners should realize their importance and status and learn with confidence without fear and pressure. 'Continuous and comprehensive Evaluation' system has been introduced. Continuous Evaluation means that learners do not have to wait until the end of the year to find out what they have learned. Instead, learners' progress can be carefully evaluated by observing learner participation, asking questions, asking them to do small projects or writing them down and through various activities during daily teaching Learning Process. In this way, the teacher will be able to identify the learning problems of each learner in advance and assist in learning individually. Comprehensive assessment does not only assess learners' learning, but also it assess how they understand correctly and apply it in their daily lives. It also Evaluate aspects of the learner’s all-round development. Learners are assessed for their attitude, confidence, leadership qualities, talent in their sports, dance, art and acting talent, and even their active participation in school activities. Every learner is talented in different subjects. Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation helps to identify and develop the talents of such gifted learners or students.
According to the Right to Education Act, every child has the fundamental right to receive quality child-centric education. This continuous and comprehensive assessment has paid off not only in our country but all over the world. Every parent has contributed to this success. This is because parents have the opportunity to observe closely what this assessment has worked and how it has worked. In fact, continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation is a partnership between teachers and parents where teachers and parents can participate together in the learner's progress.
In conclusion, it can be said that the education system provided on the basis of the "Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009" and the 'Gunotsav' programme adopted by the Government of Assam in our State recently will be able to create our next generation in the right and strong form with a successful and horizon-wide impact. With a beautiful system and with a beautiful dream, this scheme is on the path of success and has been well received by all. It is expected that in a short span of time, Assam will be able to occupy a bright spot in terms of children's education.
(The Writer is CRCC of Nalbari Cluster, Biswanath Education Block, Education Department, Assam )
