The National Advisory Committee of Right to Education Act, 2009, or popularly known as the RTE Act is a welcome change. Deep Dive with Abhinav Khare finds out how religious minority organisations are escaping from their shares of responsibilities by taking advantage of their minority status.
It was in the year 2018 when The National Advisory Committee of Right to Education Act, 2009 had recommended that schools belonging to religious minorities like missionary schools and Madrassas should be brought under Right to Education.
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India is grappling with multiple problems like poverty, unemployment, inequality and sanitation. Short term policy measures have proven to be ineffective. All of these stem down to one topic which has often received less-attention from policy makers: Education. Thus, The National Advisory Committee of Right to Education Act, 2009, or popularly known as the RTE Act is a welcome change. Making education as a fundamental right for kids was a bold but absolutely necessary move.
However, Abhinav Khare deep dives to find out how religious minority organisations are escaping from their shares of responsibilities by taking advantage of their minority status. They do not extend free education to the underprivileged. All minority institutions in the country enjoy a certain level of autonomy, especially with their admissions. All religious and linguistic minorities enjoy the right to establish and administer their educational institutions through Article 30 of the Constitution.
However, according to the existing law, there should be certain regulation which are compulsory for even minority institutions, because not all provisions under the RTE Act violate their rights under Article 30 of the constitution.
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There are provisions like clean drinking water and hygienic toilets,which are a basic requirement for all. These regulations are universal in nature and do not impede the day to day operations of minority schools. Thus, with blanket exemption of minority institutions from RTE, we fail to even provide the welfare-oriented measures to the kids which are guaranteed under this act.
The fact is not hidden that most expensive and well-reputed schools in the country are run by minority organisations. It is not hidden as well that they fail to even admit poor children of their own faith. Thus, RTE Act should be made obligatory for all schools irrespective of the status, as it indeed is for the benefit of our society.
About Abhinav Khare
Abhinav Khare is the CEO of AsiaNetNews Network and also the host of a daily show named Deep Dive with AK. AsiaNetNews is a leading media group of south India with highly valuable brands like AsiaNetNews, Suvarna News, Kannada Prabha, IndigoMusic, Indigo Radio, MyNation, NewsFast, IndigoXP Music lounges.
He is a proud father of two beautiful daughters and resides in Bengaluru with his loving family and a lifetime collection of books and gadgets. An avid traveller, he has already pinged more than hundred cities from 5 major continents around the globe.
A tech entrepreneur, who is passionate about policy, technology, economy and philosophy from ancient India. His favourite pastime is to research synergy between these facets of society. He earned his qualifications from the top 10 global universities; an MS Engineering from the ETH Zurich and an MBA Finance from the London Business School.
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