Finance ministry finally approves more funds for RTE Act

To Put to rest the complaints by various state governments over insufficient funds, the Central government has decided that it would be paying upto 70 percent of the finances that would be required for the implementation of the Right To Education (RTE) Act in all states.

A large hike in the central funding for the RTE law that ensures free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 was approved by the finance ministry's Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

The money that had been suggested earlier for the implementation of the RTE Act throughout the nation  has been raised from Rs.1,71,000 crore  to  Rs.2,31,000 crore now.

According to the EFC approval, the total outlay for each state for the implementation of the act would be Rs.24,000 crore, 68% of which would be contributed by the central government and 32% by the state.

After the enactment of the Right To Education, several states had complained that they did not have the funds that would be enough for the successful implementation of the RTE and had demanded a higher share from the Centre.

The Centre has now allocated financial assistance to all states so that the cost of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) could be allocated with the implementation of the RTE.

According to the RTE Act norms, primary classes are supposed to have a student teacher ratio of 1:30, 1:35 for upper-primary classes and 1:40 for SSA. Also, the act specifies that there can only be one classroom per teacher, which raises the number of classrooms as well as teachers. Hence, more funds were required by states for the implementation of the Act.