Haryana planning to implement RTE at plus-two level

According to Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal, her state was ahead of others in implementing the RTE Act and so it was considering to implement it at plus-two level also.

Her statement came in the backdrop of the HRD Ministry contemplating to extend the deadline for executing the provisions of RTE, which comes to an end on March 31 next year, by another two years. The government may move necessary amendments in this regard.

The Act provides for free and compulsory education at the elementary level in neighbourhood schools.

Bhukkal was presiding over a meeting of the sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) which deliberated on the contentious no-detention policy and continuous and comprehensive evaluation programme in schools.

While divergent views were expressed in the meeting on the issue of no-detention policy in classes, it was cleared that no-detention does not mean no-evaluation in class.

However, the meeting suggested that there should be common competency test at class III, V and VIII levels, sources said.

The suggestions are expected to be taken up at the next CABE meeting.

The meeting was attended by Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa, Chhattisgarh Minister of School Education Brij Mohan Agarwal, Bihar Minister of HRD Prashant Kumar Sahi besides officers from Bihar, Assam and Chhattisgarh, SCERT, Andhra Pradesh and NCERT.

Issues like shortage of funds, parity in the standard of teachers also came up in the meeting.