A Study on the Implementation of Right to Education Act, 2009 and its Impact among Socially Deprived Communities in Tamil Nadu.

Research in collaboration with Dr. Fransis Adaikalam, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai.

Indian constitution’s 86th amendment which mandates “Right to Education (RTE)” for children belonging to 6 to 14 years in 2009. Yet there are many bottlenecks while implementing some provisions of the act like 25 % free seats for Socially and Economically Weaker Section as per this act. For example, the act defines child belonging to disadvantaged groups as “a child belonging to the Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribe, the Socially and Educationally Backward Class or such other group having disadvantage owing to social, cultural, economic, geographical, linguistic, gender or such other fact, as may be specified by the appropriate Government, by notification”. But large groups of children especially those belonging to disadvantaged section still remain excluded from schooling due to compound reasons. In Tamil Nadu, the situation is far better in terms of enrolment, yet retention to higher secondary schooling and access to socially deprived children in neighbourhood schools are not much analysed and discussed. Hence, the present study tries to bridge this gap using multiple data sets. There are wide disparities with regard to the enrolment and the transition rate among the SC, ST, OBC and Muslims communities. Firstly, analysing the enrolment and pass percentage of 10th and 12th standard students belonging to the disadvantaged sections of the society. Secondly, to map the concentration of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Tamil Nadu. Lastly, to create linkage on how these communities have access to nearby Government, Govt. Aided and private schools through triangulation process.

Dr.S.Ilavarasi

Research Associate of Centre for Social Justice and Equity of Madras School of Social Work has completed her master’s and M.Phil. degrees in women’s studies. She did her doctoral research on ‘Women and Water: Problems and Possibilities of Water Governance – AMicrostudy in Tamil Nadu’ and awarded her Ph.D. in 2019. She has two years of experience as a Research Associate at the State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (SIRD & PR) of Government of Tamil Nadu in the period of 2018–2020, in which she has engaged with action research projects primarily focusing on gender and Sustainable Development Goals. She has been engaging in gender sensitization training programmes, menstrual hygiene management trainings, and sexual harassment against women. She had teaching experience as guest lecturer in women’s studies at Bharathidasan University and University of Madras for two years. She has published research papers and journals on gender and water governance. She has also produced documentaries on the themes of marginalised communities includes dalits, tribes, and women. She has participated and organised various national and international conferences.