Sitting in front of an interview panel at Jamia Millia Islamia-Centre for Coaching and Career Planning, the first question that was asked to me, being a sociology student, was, “ What, according to you, can be the answer to all the prevailing social evils in India?” After a pause, I answered, “Education- at all levels.” The development of any nation, I believe, depends on the level and quality of education it is able to provide to its citizens. 

For India too, the passing of the Right to Education Act in 2009, marked a historic event for the children of India. Through this Act, the government, no doubt have tried to provide free and compulsory elementary education to the children belonging to the age group of 6-14 years. The aim of the Act was to bridge the gap in the education system that was long persisting and also provide a platform for children to enter the system, free of cost. The road was not easy and additional schemes and policies had to be included to make parents send their kids to school, especially girls. It helped schools improve their infrastructure, quality of education, and pupil-teacher ratio. However, this Act is non-inclusive of pre-school and secondary education.

United Nations’ ‘The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes SDG-4 which aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Target 4.1 talks about free primary and secondary education. India is on the road to achieving universal primary education, but the question of free universal secondary education is out in the dark. If we talk about the National Education Policy, 2020, it promises universal access to quality education for children from 3-18 years, irrespective of socio-economic background. The 75th round of NSSO, however, shows us a different picture. It tells that around 3.22 million children, in the age bracket of 6-17 years are still out of school in India. That is a huge number, isn’t it? Without including the provision of free and compulsory secondary education under the legal ambit of the RTE Act, 2009, the task of providing universal education for all seems impossible. 

Why is it so important to include secondary education under the ambit of RTE,2009? Provision of free education till class 8th or the age of 14, does not help students in the long run, especially in making a career. Dropouts or students who want to study but can’t due to poor economic conditions, find it really hard to find a job in the job market. They end up doing small paying jobs that do not help in their or their families’ sustenance. A vicious circle of poverty creeps in that further prevents them from sending their kids to schools. Adolescent girls in school are better off than being married. In many cases, it is seen that they feel safe in schools and them being in school prevents their early marriage and hence, early pregnancies. Overall, an inclusive education helps her develop life skills and empower herself with knowledge. A study showed that girls want to continue their education, even at the secondary level. This would help them go for further education post-school too. However, the non-provision of free education at the secondary level prevents parents from sending their daughters to schools as they have to save the money for their dowry.

Thus, what India needs to do is to revisit the Right to Education Act and remodel it to be more inclusive, including secondary education too. It is time to make education a justiciable and fundamental right at all levels and it is time we move towards it.