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If you are a citizen who is concerned about a child’s right to good education and want to check how government schools are functioning, here is your guide. 

You will need interest and passion. But as recent backlash faced by citizens participating in the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)’s School Thik Karo (Fix the School) campaign suggest, that is not enough. Seeking accountability means challenging established interests, questioning accepted ways of working, and, oftentimes, asking uncomfortable questions of government duty bearers.

It means you need to know the law.

A checklist can tell a citizen what to look for in a school. But it is the law that tells us why that checklist matters. The legal provisions governing elementary education give citizens a basis for asking questions, and they give government officials a mandate, and a responsibility to act.

Also read: With Its Bare Minimum Standards, the RTE Act Fails India’s Most Vulnerable Students

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) and the RTE Rules, 2010 provide the larger legal framework. Section 3 of the RTE Act establishes the right to free and compulsory elementary education. Section 19, read with the Schedule to the Act, lays down norms and standards for schools, while Section 21 provides the framework for the School Management Committee. 

For citizens trying to monitor a government school, four areas are particularly important.

Is the school accessible?

Is the school accessible?

The RTE framework requires elementary education to be provided through a neighbourhood school. The norms prescribed are that a school should be within one kilometre for classes I–V and three kilometres for classes........

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