Kapil Sibal’s education bill is ambitious. But he has to convince the states
Kapil sibal
Budget Allocation : Rs. 31,036 crore for school education. Most of this will go to RTE implementation (RTE will require an expenditure of Rs. 1,72,000 crore over the next five years)
Big Idea
Education becomes a Fundamental Right. It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that children within the age group 6-14 get good quality education
Long-term Goals
Lift standards. Implement basic norms for infrastructure, teacher-student ratio etc. Schools will be derecognised if they don’t comply
In 1893, the king of Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao III, implemented compulsory primary education in a small taluka in Amralli district. In this nine-village cluster, children from the ages of seven to 12 were educated. This tiny experiment was a roaring success and was extended to all 52 villages in the district. Eventually, compulsory primary education was extended to the entire state. This was India’s first recorded stab at compulsory education.
(This story appears in the 19 March, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)