By: Dr. Geetanjali Chopra, Founder & President of Wishes and Blessings
India has more out-of-school children than the entire population of Bhutan. This is a staggering reality which becomes even more concerning as the country marks 16 years of the Right to Education (RTE) Act – a law intended to guarantee free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14. Envisioned as a transformative step towards universal schooling, the Act sought to expand access across socio-economic groups. Yet today, over 1.17 million children in India remain out of school. This gap reveals that despite the best of intentions, it is not an exaggeration to say that the RTE has failed to translate its promise into reality.
A Right Limited by Design
The shortcomings of the RTE Act are rooted in its design. Its narrow age bracket excludes early childhood education, even though ages 3 to 5 are critical for cognitive development. Equally concerning is the lack of continuity beyond 14. The Act assumes automatic progression without adequately addressing the economic constraints that force children out of school.
The Act also fails to accommodate the lived realities – poverty and migration. For low-income families, survival often takes precedence over schooling. In search of work, families migrate frequently, and children move with them. Migrant children, therefore, constitute a significant share of those excluded. Even when enrolled, their schooling is fragmented, turning education into a temporary engagement rather than sustained learning.
Field observations in Delhi-NCR reveal that children are often forced to choose between food and books. When the choice is between survival and education, it is rarely a choice at all. Yet, the desire to learn persists in those young hearts. This raises a fundamental question: if the right exists, schools exist and aspiration exists, then why does participation remain low?
Enrolment Without Learning
The answer lies partly in limited parental awareness and condition of public schools. When parents have had little or no schooling, education is often undervalued, and children are seen as contributors to household income rather than learners. They prefer children begging on street rather than sending them to schools. The condition of public schools is equally concerning. While initiatives such as midday meals, free textbooks and uniforms aim to incentivise enrolment, the quality of education remains deeply uneven.
Poor infrastructure, lack of functional sanitation, and a chronic shortage of teachers continue to plague government schools. Approximately 1.17 lakh schools operate with a single teacher, most of them in rural areas. In such conditions, delivering even basic learning outcomes becomes a challenge.
This is reflected in learning outcomes. Only 42.8% of Grade V students in rural India can read a Grade II-level text. For many children, schooling does not translate into learning. Without foundational skills, they remain unprepared for higher education or employment, thereby perpetuating cycles of poverty.
Where Gender Still Determines Opportunity
These challenges are further compounded by gender disparities. Girls remain the most vulnerable to dropping out. In many households, boys’ education is prioritised, while girls are expected to shoulder domestic responsibilities or marry early.
Government initiatives such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao have raised awareness, but implementation gaps persist. For girls in rural and economically vulnerable urban communities, education remains uncertain.
Even provisions like the 25% reservation for economically weaker sections in private schools face uneven enforcement. Where implemented, children often struggle with social integration, affecting confidence and retention. Moreover, once these students cross the age of 14, financial constraints resurface, pushing them out of the system once again.
From Access to Outcomes
Education remains the most powerful tool to break cycles of poverty and exclusion, but access alone is not enough – continuity and quality must take precedence. The framework needs to be expanded to include early childhood education and to create viable pathways beyond 14. It must also respond to migration through flexible enrolment systems and portable academic records.
Equally urgent is improving the quality of public education. Addressing teacher shortages and strengthening foundational learning are essential to ensure that schooling leads to meaningful outcomes. At the same time, India needs a more flexible ecosystem for out-of-school children. This requires the creation of a new dedicated education board or mechanism that enables re-entry into learning without rigid age or classroom constraints.
Stronger institutional partnerships with grassroots organisations and credible NGOs are equally critical. These organisations play a key role in identifying, enrolling and retaining children from vulnerable communities.
A Right Yet to Be Realised
Sixteen years on, the Right to Education remains more of words on paper than in practice. The challenge is no longer to expand access alone, but to ensure that every child enters the system and is able to stay, learn and progress.
India’s greatest strength – its young population – can also become its greatest challenge if not equipped with the right education and skills.
