Question

From which year, the Right to Education Act (RTE Act) came into effect?
1. 2009
2. 2010
3. 2005
4. 2001

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : 2010

The correct answer is 2010.

•  86^th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State by law may determine.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full-time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school that satisfies certain essential norms and standards.
• Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1^st April 2010.
• Free education means that no child, other than a child who has been admitted by his or her parents to a school that is not supported by the appropriate Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
• ‘Compulsory education’ casts an obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission, attendance, and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age group.

• With this, India has moved forward to a rights-based framework that casts a legal obligation on the Central and State Governments to implement this fundamental child right as enshrined in Article 21A of the Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act.