The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, makes free and compulsory education a legal right for children aged 6 to 14 years in India. Under Section 12(1)(c) of the Act, all eligible private unaided schools are required to reserve 25 percent of entry-level seats for children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and disadvantaged groups. The state government reimburses schools for these admissions, ensuring that eligible children can access quality education without paying tuition fees.
However, despite the legal provision, lack of awareness, complex application procedures and documentation challenges continue to prevent many families from availing the benefit.
Kashish Jain, a 16-year-old Class X student at Heritage International Xperiential School in Gurugram, is using technology and community outreach to help economically weaker families access free education under the RTE Act. Through her student-led initiative, ‘Mera Baccha Padhega’, she is working to bridge the gap between a legal right and the families who are often unaware of it.
Speaking about the initiative, Kashish says the biggest challenge is not the law itself but making it accessible. “The problem isn’t the law. It’s the last mile. Many parents simply don’t know that their children are entitled to free education in private schools under the RTE Act, or they struggle with the application process,” she says.
In Haryana last year, over 61,000 seats were available, but fewer than 12,000 were filled, leaving thousands of eligible children without admission.
To address this, Kashish and a team of volunteers have been conducting awareness camps outside ration shops, health centres and other community locations where families gather. The team also launched merabacchapadhega.org
where parents can learn about eligibility and receive guidance on the admission process.
“We realised families needed someone to walk them through every step – from checking documents to submitting online applications. Many had never filled out a digital form before,” she explains.
Over the past four months, the initiative has reached nearly 5,000 families. Volunteers helped submit 77 complete applications, leading to 25 seat allotments and 11 confirmed admissions in private schools. “Eleven admissions may sound small, but for those children it means years of quality education that their families could never have afforded. Every admission represents a life-changing opportunity,” Kashish said.
Her work recently gained international attention when she delivered a keynote at the United Nations AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. There, she urged policymakers to use artificial intelligence to improve access to education.
“AI should help parents discover opportunities, guide them through the process and remove barriers—not become another advantage only for those who already have access. Technology should expand opportunity for those who have the least,” she added.