The landmark Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 is the building block to make schools in India more child-friendly, ensuring both equity and quality for India's 134 million children enrolled in primary schools.
The Right to Education Act calls for quality preschool education, especially for excluded children, to help get the right start and prevent the large number of drop outs in the first years of primary school.
This Act also calls for learning through activities, discovery and exploration in a child-friendly environment. UNICEF supports initiatives across India to promote improved learning for children and will use study results to enhance such initiatives.
A mother shares her son's passion for studies. The role of parents to ensure equity and quality education is essential. The RTE Act calls for half of women on the School Management Committees and proportionate representation of disadvantaged groups.
A child-friendly school ensures equal treatment of boys and girls and uses the school building as a teaching aid, like this map of the local environment, to support childrens learning. The study will examine any gaps in learning between boys and girls.
The joint study underway examines how children relate to each other and how their relationships affect learning. Children in schools that promote positive and inclusive relationships tend to perform better.
Children wait for their turn to be served a mid-day meal. The mid-day meal programme has proven to be effective in helping children stay in school and a way to promote social unity. Under Indias RTE Act all schools should provide mid-day meals.
Education helps children learn good sanitation and hygiene practices like hand washing. Currently 9 out of 10 schools have drinking water facility. Out of 10 primary schools in India 6 have toilets and only half of them have separate toilets for girls.
Children take a break to play. Playing besides being a child's right, is an essential part of their education and development. India's Right to Education Act calls for each school to have a playground.
A second grader carefully demonstrates her writing skills to a surveyor from the joint teaching and learning study of MHRD, ASER Centre, UNESCO and UNICEF. Results from the study help teachers identify areas for improvement