Under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, who is…

Concept

The RTE Act distributes responsibility among the appropriate Government, local authorities, schools, teachers, and parents through separate statutory provisions.

Universal elementary education under this framework means ensuring free education as well as admission, attendance, and completion for children in the elementary-age group.

Application

The question asks specifically about implementation at the local level. Section 9 of the Act assigns the relevant implementation duties to every local authority, a category that includes bodies such as Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Zila Parishads, Nagar Panchayats, and Panchayats.

Contrast

• Teachers: Section 24 deals with professional duties within the school, such as maintaining regularity and punctuality, completing the curriculum, assessing learning, and meeting parents or guardians.

• Parents or guardians: Section 10 places on them the duty to admit the child or ward to a neighbourhood school.

• Central Government: Section 7 covers financial sharing, a national framework, standards, technical support, and capacity building.

• Local authorities: Section 9 covers provision and local monitoring of free and compulsory elementary education.

Cross-check

Cross-checking the statutory heading “Duties of local authority” and Section 9(a), which requires every local authority to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child, confirms the result: local authorities.