Only 8% schools have complied with RTE norms

Only eight per cent schools have complied with the Right to Education (RTE) norms despite the deadline for their implementation coming to an end about a year ago, a report released said on Thursday.
Though there have been new classrooms, 59.67% of the children study in schools that still fail to meet the pupil-teacher norms. The mechanism for redressal of complaints also remains weak, it said.
The RTE forum report further said that while the RTE Act mandates that all teachers in the country are to be trained by 2015, India continues to have 6.6 lakh untrained teachers and 5 lakh posts are vacant.
"Irrespective of the party in power, no state has fully implemented RTE. This is the case from Gujarat, with a 14.4% compliance rate even in Ahmedabad, to Mizoram with the lowest compliance rate of zero per cent in Serchhip district," said forum convenor Ambarish Rai.
At the fourth national stocktaking convention, where the report was released, he said the trend is the same everywhere with only one per cent schools in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh fulfilling the RTE norms.
"People have, however, become more aware and angry with the prevailing reality. It is essential that political parties listen to the voice of the people and respond by placing education high on their agendas," he said.
The RTE Act had set March 31, 2013 as the deadline for meeting norms such as provision of classrooms, drinking water facilities, toilets etc.