Article 21A (86th Amendment, 2002) of the Constitution of India provides the Right to Free and Compulsory Education for children of ages six to 14 years. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 expands this vision to cover children from ages three to 18 years, thereby extending the goal of universal education from pre-primary to higher secondary (Class 12). The NEP aims to achieve this universalisation of school education up to the secondary level by 2030. Although education is meant to be free, many students still attend private schools, where substantial fees are charged. In addition, due to several reasons, many students also go for private coaching, which adds to the financial burden.

Given the constitutional guarantee of free education, how expensive is basic schooling in India? How

See Full Page