Right to Education Act, (2009): Issues and challenges

The year 2009 is a land mark year in the history of elementary education, as the Government finally managed to pass the 86th amendment to the constitution that made Right to Education (RTE) a fundamental right. The title of the RTE Act incorporates the words “free and compulsory‟. „Free education‟ means that no child, other than a child who has been admitted by his or her parents to a school which is not supported by the appropriate Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. „Compulsory education‟ castes an obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age groups. The present paper aims at examine the Right to education Act, 2009 and its provisions as well as issues and challenges in implementation based on secondary data and suggest measures for better execution of the act.