The myth of free and barrier-free access: India's Right to Education Act-private schooling costs and household experiences
This paper reports household-level data on the schooling patterns, experiences, and perceptions in one Delhi slum
Abstract
This study examines relative household costs and experiences of accessing private and government schooling under India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 in the early implementation phase. The Act deems that no child should incur any fee, charges, or expenses in accessing schooling. Private schools are mandated to allocate 25% of their seats for free via ‘freeships’ for socially and economically disadvantaged children. Furthermore, the Act has a number of provisions attempting to ease barriers to admission and entry to all schools, including private schools. This paper reports household-level data on the schooling patterns, experiences, and perceptions in one Delhi slum accessing schooling based on a survey of 290 households and 40 semi-structured household interviews.
Citation
Prachi Srivastava, Claire Noronha (2016) The myth of free and barrier-free access: India’s Right to Education Act—private schooling costs and household experiences, Oxford Review of Education, 42:5, 561-578