The Department of School Education has set the ball rolling for implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act from the academic year 2022-23.
A State-level committee constituted for the purpose met for the first time at the office of the Samagra Shiksha and presided over by Special Chief Secretary B. Rajasekhar.
Commissioner, School Education, Suresh Kumar said in accordance with an affidavit filed by the government in the High Court, steps were being initiated to implement the Act.
The committee members include the Special Chief Secretary, School Education Department as the chairman; Commissioner, School Education, as member/convenor; and Special Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Samagra Shiksha Society State Project Director, Andhra Pradesh Private Unaided School Managements’ Association (APPUSMA) president M.V. Ramachandra Reddy, AP Private Schools’ Association (APPSA) representative K. Chandrasekhar, Independent School Management Association (ISMA) representative K. Srikanth Babu, member NGO M.V. Foundation R. Venkat Reddy, chief functionary of People’s Organisation for Rural Development (PORD) J. Lalithamma and Technical Support Manager of the Vasavya Mahila Mandali (NGO) Ch. Keerthi as members.
Mr. Suresh said the focus of the meeting was on the expenditure that the government would incur on each student and said that members of the private educational institutions had agreed to implement the Right to Education Act.
The committee would meet every year in December to assess per child expenditure for the next academic year. Based on the committee’s decision, the State Project Director of the Samagra Shiksha would ensure reimbursement of the fee against the reservation of children in schools under Section (12) of the Act and communicate the same to the District Education Officers concerned, he said.
