In 1950, India made a Constitutional commitment to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14, by adding this provision in article 45 of the Directive Principles of State Policy.

         With the Constitution (Eighty-Sixth) Amendment Act (168 KB) - PDF file that opens in a new window on 12th December 2002, Article 21A was amended in order to introduce Right to Education as a fundamental right. The Right to Education Bill, 2005 (121 KB) - PDF file that opens in a new window was introduced to give effect to the Constitution (Eighty-Sixth) Amendment Act.

         The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (1.48 MB) - PDF file that opens in a new window finally came into force on 1st April 2010. With the implementation of this Act, it is expected that issues of school drop out, out-of-school children, quality of education and availability of trained teachers will be addressed in the short to medium term plans.