The fundamental right to education, debated endlessly for years, is set to come up for legislative sanction in Parliament’s winter session this month. Among its proposals for reform in education are four key policy initiatives that taken together constitute the first step towards guaranteeing free education for all children between six and 14 years of age.• One, ‘‘no person shall employ or engage a child in a manner which shall prevent the child from attending an approved school.’’ This indirect attack on child labour also carries a fine: Rs 500 for the first offence and then Rs 50 every day.• Two, ‘‘attendance inspectors’’ will be appointed to check if everybody in the stipulated age group is going to school.• Three, all private schools will have to ensure education for children below the poverty line to a maximum of 20 per cent of their enrolment capacity.•If the local authority doesn’t provide the necessary school infrastructure, the district-level redressal forum will step in and help set it up. But not before punitive action against the guilty village or municipal officials—this includes publishing their photographs in the local media. Who will enforce these?For this, the Free and Compulsory Education for Children Bill, 2003—now with political parties—proposes three main authorities, two in every village or town and one at the district level: The Basic Education Authority responsible for planning and setting up infrastructure and the Attendance Authority which will monitor who is going to school. These two authorities will be appointed by the respective state governments and will be drawn from local residents, including exisiting schooletachers.And citizens’ committees will be created to monitor the performance of both attendance and basic education authorities. Complaints against these two authorities will be fielded by the District Grievance Redressal Forum, headed by the District Magistrate.The Bill is unclear whether private schools would be permitted to create separate infrastructure for these economically backward children or if all children, rich and poor would attend the same class.
