Project director, Bihar Education Project, and Secretary, information and public relations department, Rajesh Bhushan while addressing a seminar organised by the Human Rights Association of Bihar at Chandragupta Institute of Management Patna (CIMP), stressed on various shortfalls which needed special attention. He also spoke about the lack of infrastructure that includes both shortage of school buildings as well as teachers. He mentioned that many children in teh age of school going children were still out of school. He further said that as primary education under social agenda programme has always been a high priority of the respective state governments, the state should play a major role in implementing the Right to Education Act, in a more effective manner.
He said that after implementation of Right to Education Act, schools would not be allowed to take entrance examination, capitation fees and demanding birth certificates at the time of admission of children in Class 1. He further said that all unaided schools would provide free education to at least 25 % children from the neighbourhood, adding that such schools would be compensated by the state government for the losses that they would incur. This system is also to include 220 days of compulsory teaching in a year and 45 hours of minimum teaching in a week have been also incorporated in the said Act, Sinha said.
