EDUCATION
Education is a public good and every student has the right to free, quality education provided by the state. Schools, colleges and universities should be predominantly public institutions funded by public resources. We recognise that private educational institutions play an important supplementary role.
1. Congress brought in the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 that transformed education for children between the ages of 6 and 14. We will amend the RTE Act to make education from Class I to Class XII in public schools compulsory and free.
2. The New Education Policy (NEP) announced by the BJP/NDA government has been opposed by educationists and several state governments. Education is a concurrent subject and the rights of states to formulate an education policy must be respected. Hence, we will revisit and amend the NEP in consultation with the state governments.
3. We will end the practice of charging special fees for different purposes in public schools.
4. For greater equity, affordability and transparency in school fees charged by private schools, we will encourage state governments to establish fee regulation committees.
5. The quality of teaching is the most important determinant of educational outcomes. Congress will work with states to ensure that every class and every subject has a dedicated teacher. Each class must have a dedicated classroom.
6. Foundational learning emphasising literacy, numeracy, foundational science and Constitutional values in schools is an important requirement for all children. Congress will expand the budget for and scale up government programmes for foundational learning.
7. School and college syllabuses will emphasise the study of STEM subjects in order to develop a scientific temper.
8. We will discourage the use of teachers for non-teaching activities.
9. We will discourage the appointment of contractual teachers in regular vacancies and ensure that such appointments are regularised.
10. We will accelerate the integration of pre-primary and primary education to ensure that all children receive at least two years of pre-school education.
Additional supporting commitments:
- Pre-matric and higher education scholarships for disadvantaged groups
- Free mobile phones for students of classes IX to XII
- Free and unlimited Internet on school campuses
- Enhanced financial assistance for educational institutions
- Student loan write-offs as one-time relief measure