In order to make India a 'Knowledge hub' in future, a bill aiming to provide free and compulsory education to children in the age group of six to 14 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal explained after introducing the bill that the bill was extremely important because it talked about not only taking children to school but also about providing quality education. It is meant to create intellectual assets and encourage creativity of mind. The minister said that the the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Bill, after becoming law, will provide 'free education to students' and all states will compulsorily have to provide it.
Talking about the quality of education, the minister said an academic committee will be set up to evaluate the quality of teachers and if a teacher does not have adequate qualification, then he or she will have to acquire it within five years and failing to do so will mean losing the job. The minister said the idea of such a bill was mooted in 1993 and in 2001, the Constitution was amended to make education a fundamental right. But the amendment also had a rider that to make education free and compulsory, a separate bill has to be introduced. The minister said once this bill becomes a law, it will ensure 25 % reservation in private schools.
