ABSTRACT
The right to education (RTE) is a fundamental right of the children in the age group 6–14 years, recognized by the Indian Constitution through an amendment in the year 2002. Further, there is now a Right to Education (RTE) Act, which ensures free and primary education to all children in the age group 6–14 years, till completion of elementary education in a neigh-bourhood school. The RTE Act, enacted in 2009, is in effect from 1 April 2010. This act envisages community monitoring of implementation of RTE through the mechanisms such as School Management Committee (SMC). The idea of community monitoring of education was also present in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA, meaning ‘Education for All Campaign’) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which were the precursors to the RTE act (Kapoor 2010). For example, under SSA, the schools used to have the School Development Committee (SDC), headed by the school head teacher. The RTE act, however, gives greater emphasis on community participation by empowering the SMCs to make school development plan, have financial powers on the grants received by the schools and monitoring the day-to-day functioning of the school.
