Karnataka demands central aid to implement RTE

Differences between the state and Union government continue to dog the implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act. Minister for primary and secondary education Visveshwara Hegde Kageri on Thursday stated that effective implementation of RTE would not be possible unless Centre provides liberal financial assistance.

“The state government is committed to implementing the RTE, which envisages compulsory education for children in the age-group of 6 to 14 years. But Union government, which has brought the Act, should also provide financial assistance for the states to implement it. I put this across strongly at the meeting of state education ministers chaired by Union human resources development minister Kapil Sibal in Delhi recently,” Kageri said.

The state government is going ahead with its proposal to merge the schools with very low student strength—below 10 students—with the nearest bigger school. There are about 1,500 such schools in the state. The merger would be completed before the start of next academic year.

The minister denied the charge that mergers were being effected due to financial crunch. “It is not due to financial or any other problem. It is being done with the sole intention of ensuring quality education for all the children,” Kageri said.