No proposal to extend ambit of RTE Act: HRD

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday ruled out any proposal for extending the ambit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 from nursery to secondary level.  Minister of State for HRD, Satya Pal Singh, informed the Rajya Sabha that the government has merged three centrally sponsored schemes to serve the purpose.

"There is no proposal for extending the ambit of RTE Act, 2009 at present. However, in pursuance of the announcement in the budget this year, i.e. to treat school and education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to class 12, the education department has prepared an Integrated Scheme on School Education," he said.  The scheme has been prepared by subsuming the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE), the minister added.