RTE has brought improvement in education sector: MHRD

Implementation of the Right To Education has brought about improvements in the education sector benefiting mainly Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and persons with disabilities, said Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju.

The government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has led to a drop in the number of out-of-school SC children from 8.2 per cent in 2005 to 5.9 per cent in 2009. Similarly, there was a reduction in the percentage of out-of-school Scheduled Tribe children from 9.5 per cent in 2005 to 5.2 per cent in 2009.

In higher education, the Central Education Institutions Act provides 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent reservation to SC and ST students, respectively.

For 2013-14, the MHRD has earmarked about Rs 12,000 crore. Out of this, about Rs 6,000 crore has been allotted to the SCSP (SC Sub-plan) and Rs 6,533 crore has been allotted to the TSP (Tribal Sub-Plan).