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Aditya Naidu
Independent Researcher
Andhra Pradesh, India
Abstract
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, represents a watershed in India’s educational policy landscape. While much scholarship has focused on access, infrastructure, and enrolment, the equally crucial question of how classroom pedagogy has changed—especially in rural schools—remains under-examined. This manuscript investigates the extent, nature, and sustainability of pedagogical shifts precipitated by RTE implementation in rural contexts. Drawing on a mixed-method survey of 240 stakeholders (teachers, head teachers, School Management Committee members, and parents) across four rural districts, and supported by classroom observations and focus group discussions, the study uncovers both incremental and transformative changes. Prominent among these are: a move from teacher-dominated lectures to activity-based and child-centred learning; increased formative and continuous assessment practices; differentiated instruction for multi-grade, multi-level classrooms; and increased attention to inclusive strategies for marginalized learners. However, the research also documents persistent tensions—overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teacher training, bureaucratic compliance pressures, and resource shortages—that dilute or distort the intended pedagogical reforms.
The findings suggest that RTE has recalibrated the “grammar of schooling” in rural India by formalizing child rights and teacher accountability, but lasting pedagogical transformation requires systemic support: robust in-service professional development, time for reflective practice, community participation beyond compliance checklists, and context-sensitive curricular materials. The manuscript concludes with policy and practice recommendations to consolidate gains and address implementation gaps. In doing so, it contributes a grounded understanding of how legal mandates translate (or fail to translate) into day-to-day teaching and learning transactions in rural classrooms.
Keywords
RTE Act 2009; rural schools; pedagogy; child-centred learning; continuous assessment; inclusive education; teacher professional development; multi-grade classrooms; India; educational reform
References
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