State of Indian Public Schools since the Right to Education Act

Despite decades of promise for reforms by the government, India’s education system still remains in a poor state. Using District Primary Education Programme data, the progress, or lack thereof, in achieving the targets of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act is assessed. While there has been some progress, such as construction of toilets and ramps in schools, for many indicators, little or no progress was seen in more than a decade since the enactment of the RTE Act in 2009. While the data analysed here precede the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no doubt that improving the delivery of education has become even more urgent after months of school closure.