HRD Ministry ‘Considering’ Extension Of RTE Up To Class XII, Says Report

The Union Human Resource Development Ministry is reportedly planning to extend the Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE) up to class 12, reports Indian Express.

The RTE Act currently applies to children between the ages of 6 and 14 studying from classes I to VIII.

In 2012, during the UPA-era, a sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) had recommended the extension of RTE.

“A proposal regarding extension of the RTE Act, 2009, is under consideration of the ministry," a senior HRD Ministry official was quoted as saying by Indian Express in a letter to education activist Ashok Agarwal.

However, Minister of State for HRD, Dr Satyapal Singh, reportedly said in Parliament that there was no such proposal to extend the RTE. “There is no proposal for extending the ambit of RTE Act, 2009, at present. However, the education department has prepared an Integrated Scheme on School Education,” Singh was quoted as saying by IE.

The RTE requires all private schools, except for minority institutions, to reserve 25 per cent of seats for underprivileged children.