‘Every school must follow RTE norms’

The new law on right to education, if implemented in letter and spirit, will change the way our schools look. There will be separate toilets for boys and girls, adequate clean drinking water and a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 35:1.

The Right of Children for Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008, (RTE) has set certain standards and norms for all schools to follow. Failure to follow these may lead to cancellation of affiliation and recognition. The RTE has been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

No school will be recognised unless it met these norms, a human resource development ministry official said. All schools set up before the enactment of RTE will have to fulfil these standards within three years, he said.

Besides, schools running without recognition will be fined Rs1 lakh. Focusing on improving the PTR, which in states like Bihar is 67:1, the RTE envisages 1 teacher for every 30 students in primary classes (I-V) and a ratio of 35:1 in higher classes. In any case, the PTR should not exceed 40:1.

There has to be one teacher per class and a teacher each for languages, social studies, science, and mathematics. No school can be without a headmaster. In schools where number of students is more than 100, there has to be a full-time head-teacher and at least part-time instructors for art and craft education, health and physical education, and work education. The teachers have to spend a minimum of 45 teaching hours every week over and above preparation hours.

There were only seven states that reported a PTR of more than 40 at the primary and upper primary level, according to a report by National University of Educational Planning and Administration. The report was prepared for District Information System for Education (DISE).

States like Bihar reported a high PTR of 67:1 at the upper primary and 65:1 at the primary level. Bihar reported a high student-classroom ratio of 91 which the RTE has limited to 30-35. This would mean that such states would have recruit adequate number of teachers.

The schools must have all-weather buildings with barrier-free access for the disabled. The DISE found that several parents preferred private schools to government ones, particularly for girls, because of the better facilities. At least 62.67% schools in the country have common toilets and 50.5% have separate toilets for girls. And only 34.43% schools have ramps for the disabled.

The medium of instruction, as far as possible, should be in the child’s mother tongue. No child should be required to pass any board examination till they complete elementary education.