Status of implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act with reference of Inclusive Education in elementary schools: A Study

Authors

Shruti Kirti Rastogi, Research Scholar
Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow, India.

Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Assistant Professor
Faculty of Special Education, Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow, India.

Abstract

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 heralded a new epoch in the Indian Education system, specifically in the context of Inclusive Education. Inclusive Education, as a concept, advocates for equal education for every child without any discrimination concerning the child’s gender, caste, creed, race, color, ability, or disability. The Right to Education (RTE) Act- 2009 promulgates the tenets of Inclusive Education and institutes free and compulsory elementary education for all children in the age group 6- 14 years. The RTE Act is regarded as a bellwether for enlisting need-based and child-centric teaching-learning aids and pedagogies to be employed while educating children with Special Needs (CWSN). This study, in particular, focuses on estimating the outreach of the Teaching-Learning Scaffolds and Equipment that RTE has mandated in the context of inclusive education for differently-abled children. To gauge the implementation and the outreach of the various learning aids being used to teach the CWSN, an intensive study of a randomly selected sample of 60 elementary schools in the 4 Blocks of Lucknow district was undertaken. The analysis of the collated data revealed that more rapid, as well as expansive strides, need to be taken in the context of equipping the schools with state-of-the-art teaching-learning equipment. The present study posits a set of recommendations in this regard which will add to the state government’s mission of UEE.