Bharat Abhyudaya Foundation is committed in its efforts to impart access to quality education for all. I would like to see many more milestones touching the lives of people in collaboration with the government to achieve our common vision of ensuring equitable access to opportunities to align an equitable society. I would like to highlight the unique synergistic partnership between the government and Bharat Abhyudaya Foundation in our common goal of achieving inclusive education. When two complementary strengths collaborate, the results are exponentially wider, effective and far-reaching. Despite several challenges, its untiring efforts in offering subject matter expertise and capacity building trainings to the state resulted in effective engagement of government machinery leading to the historical change that allowed thousands of poor and rich children to study and grow together. It is our responsibility that every child should get equal access to quality education regardless of her socio- economic background. In a socially inclusive classroom every child benefits in many ways. Malala exemplifies a guiding light in the darkness that pervades the lives of unprivileged children around the world.
Therefore, on the occasion of Malala Day on 12 July 2016, it gives me immense pleasure to appreciate the persistent efforts by Bharat Abhyudaya. Foundation (BAF) in the field of Right to Education particularly the challenging part of engaging private schools under section 12(1)(C). In this pursuit, the Government is always keen to render its support to provide quality education for all.
12(1)(C) of the right to Education Act is a very significant education reform initiative in India as it has the potential to offer equitable access to various choices of schooling to socially and economically disadvantaged children. With the growing private schooling sector, it becomes imperative for the government to take initiatives that can make these schools more inclusive. If successfully implemented, this provision can be one of the biggest public private partnership initiatives in the world. Uttar Pradesh being the largest state has the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of children in the state with this provision. Implementing this scheme effectively across 75 districts covering 220 million population could have been a mammoth challenge for the state government However it is delightful to see the government partnering with a proactive organization - Bharat Abhyudaya Foundation (BAF) that has been spearheading the RTE movement in the state. Such a unique close synergetic collaboration between public and private sector is exemplary of how individual strengths can be leveraged to achieve larger common public goals. The report brings about the entire journey BAF has made thus far with the state government in its pursuit of inclusive education right from bringing the stakeholders together, organizing round table conferences, engaging media and gathering support from the governmental machinery at various levels.
It showcases the remarkable results which the collaboration has achieved in just a few years along with the success stories. The report also talks about the challenges which BAF and government faced in this endeavour and brings us the way forward that should be at the heart of the Act's robust implementation. On behalf of Central Square Foundation, I extend my congratulations to Bharat Abhyudaya Foundation on their achievement in Uttar Pradesh. I wish the entire team associated with this project all the very best in making the implementation of RTE Section 12(1Xc) effective not only across Uttar Pradesh but to the whole of India in future.