Read the following statements about the goal of education for all in India:
(A) Though adult and youth literacy rates have increased, the absolute number of illiterates in India is as large as India’s population at independence.
(B) The Directive Principles noted that the government should provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 10 years within 14 years.
(C) The goal of free and compulsory education for children was written in the Fundamental Rights when the Constitution was passed in 1950.
(D) Had the goal of free and compulsory education been achieved in time, India would have cent per cent literacy by now.
(E) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 made free education a fundamental right of all children aged 6–14 years.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Three
The goal of education for all goes back to the Constitution of 1950. It has still not been met.
(A) Though adult and youth literacy rates have increased, the absolute number of illiterates in India is as large as India’s population at independence. — Correct. Rates have gone up, but the number of illiterates is still that large.
(B) The Directive Principles noted that the government should provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 10 years within 14 years. — Incorrect. The numbers are swapped. It was up to the age of 14 years within 10 years.
(C) The goal of free and compulsory education for children was written in the Fundamental Rights when the Constitution was passed in 1950. — Incorrect. In 1950 the goal was noted in the Directive Principles. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 made free education a fundamental right.
(D) Had the goal of free and compulsory education been achieved in time, India would have cent per cent literacy by now. — Correct. Meeting the goal on time would have made everyone literate by now.
(E) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 made free education a fundamental right of all children aged 6–14 years. — Correct. This is the Right to Education Act of 2009.
NCERT (2026-27): “Education for All — Still a Distant Dream: Though literacy rates for both — adults as well as youth — have increased, still the absolute number of illiterates in India is as much as India’s population was at the time of independence. In 1950, when the Constitution of India was passed by the Constituent Assembly, it was noted in the Directive Principles of the Constitution that the government should provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years within 10 years from the commencement of the Constitution. Had we achieved this, we would have cent per cent literacy by now.” “Growth in Government Expenditure on Education: … In 2009, the Government of India enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act to make free education a fundamental right of all children in the age group of 6-14 years.” |