BENGALURU: Right to Education (RTE) admissions in Karnataka have fallen sharply, from over one lakh in 2018 to just 3,412 in recent years. In response, the education sub-committee of the Karnataka Policy and Planning Commission, chaired by TM Vijay Bhaskar, has recommended that the government develop a comprehensive roadmap and expand RTE coverage to children aged 3 to 16 years, up from the current 6–14 age bracket.

Dr Niranjanaradhya, developmental educationist, said, “Admissions for RTE across schools in the state have drastically reduced. The Act is not being implemented effectively to benefit children. Expanding it to ages 3–16 would help prevent dropouts after class 8 and allow students to access quality education in classes 9 and 10.”

Palakshaiah Shivalingaiah, former officer in the RTE cell, GoK, added, “RTE is being implemented narrowly. It should ensure quality education for all children, including adherence to distance norms—one km for classes I–V and three km for classes VI–VIII. We have also suggested providing cycles to girl students in remote areas to improve enrolment.”

Despite a recent government order reserving 25% of seats for RTE admissions in LKG and class 1, uptake has remained low.

When contacted, Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education and Literacy, said, “Implementation will require significant state funding and the Chief Minister’s approval.”