Read the passage and answer the questions based on it Mahatma Gandhi said: Education is "the basic tool for development of consciousness and reconstruction of society". The Universal Declaration of Human rights, 1948 (UDHR) states: "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, atleast in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. "This was said prior to the labeling of the current 21st century as the century of knowledge; and before the level of education in the community was recognised as an index of human development. The Constitution of India, recognizing this aspect enacted initially the Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 45 to achieve the goal of free and compulsory education upto the age of fourteen within ten years, but the task remaining unfulfilled for over half a century, the fundamental right in Article 21A has been inserted as amendment to reinforce its importance along with corresponding amendments in Article 45 and 51 A. Teacher is the medium to achieve this goal. Hence, the quality of teacher education to provide quality teachers is an important component for the success of this programme. The report of the Education Commission states:" The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms. This, we believe is no more a rhetoric." The key player in the process is the teacher. Mahatma Gandhi said, "I have always felt that the true text book for the pupil is the teacher". A true teacher is a role model who triggers the thought process of his students to realize their true potential. He teaches by 'practice' and not merely by "precept".
In which of the following, the demand for free and compulsory education was made at the first?
Analyzing the Question: Free and Compulsory Education Demand
The question asks us to identify which of the given options is presented in the passage as the first instance where the demand for free and compulsory education was made. We need to carefully read the passage and see how each option is discussed in relation to this demand.
Examining the Passage for Clues
Let's break down the relevant parts of the passage:
- The passage mentions the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 (UDHR), stating it declares: "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, atleast in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory." This is a direct statement about the right to free and compulsory education made in 1948.
- It then mentions the Constitution of India enacted the Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 45 to achieve the goal of free and compulsory education up to age fourteen within ten years. The passage notes this was done "initially recognizing this aspect". The phrasing suggests the Directive Principles were enacted *after* the recognition of the importance or the demand for free and compulsory education.
- The passage also refers to the fundamental right in Article 21A as a later amendment, reinforced by corresponding changes in Articles 45 and 51A. This came much later than the Directive Principles.
- The Report of the Education Commission is mentioned in the context of the importance of classrooms and teachers, not as the origin of the demand for free and compulsory education.
Evaluating the Options Based on the Passage
Let's analyze each option:
- The Right to Education Act: The passage mentions Article 21A as a fundamental right inserted later as an amendment. While related to the Right to Education, the Act itself (RTE Act, 2009) came much later than the events described regarding the UDHR and the initial Directive Principles. The passage does not present this as the first demand.
- Report of the Education Commission: The passage quotes the Education Commission report regarding the importance of classrooms and teachers in shaping India's destiny. It does not state that the commission's report was where the demand for free and compulsory education was first made.
- The Directive Principles of the State Policy: The passage states these were enacted "initially recognizing this aspect" to *achieve the goal* of free and compulsory education. This implies the goal or demand existed before or concurrently with the enactment of the Directive Principles, and the principles were a means to fulfill it within India. The passage mentions the UDHR *before* the Directive Principles and links the latter to *achieving* the goal.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The passage directly quotes the UDHR (1948) stating that everyone has the right to education, which shall be free and compulsory at elementary stages. This is presented as a declaration made prior to India enacting its Directive Principles to achieve this goal. Among the options mentioned in the passage, the UDHR is described first and directly states the demand/right.
Conclusion
Based on the sequence and description in the passage, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is presented as the document that first stated the demand for free and compulsory education among the given options. The Directive Principles were enacted later in India to work towards achieving this recognized goal.
| Source Mentioned | Relation to Free & Compulsory Education | Timeline (as per passage) | Presented as First Demand? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) | States education shall be free and compulsory (1948) | Mentioned first | Yes, explicitly states the right/demand. |
| Directive Principles of State Policy | Enacted to achieve the goal of free & compulsory education | Mentioned after UDHR, enacted initially recognizing the aspect | No, enacted to achieve a goal/demand already recognized. |
| Fundamental Right (Article 21A) | Amendment reinforcing importance | Inserted later | No, a later reinforcement. |
| Report of the Education Commission | Discusses importance of teachers/classrooms | Mentioned later in context of teacher role | No, not linked to the origin of the demand. |
Revision Table: Key Concepts in Education Rights
| Concept | Reference in Passage | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) | States the right to free, compulsory elementary education. | An international recognition of education as a basic human right. |
| Directive Principles of State Policy (Article 45) | Initial constitutional goal for India to provide free & compulsory education up to 14 years. | A directive for the Indian state to work towards this goal. |
| Fundamental Right (Article 21A) | Inserted as an amendment (later) to make education a legally enforceable right. | elevated education from a directive to a legally enforceable right in India. |
Additional Information: Evolution of Education Rights in India
The passage touches upon the journey of education rights in India. It started as a directive principle, a goal for the state to achieve over time. Because this goal wasn't met within the initial timeframe (ten years), it was later elevated to a fundamental right through a constitutional amendment (Article 21A). This made education for children aged 6-14 years a legally enforceable right. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 was then enacted to provide the legal framework for implementing this fundamental right. The passage highlights how the international recognition of education as a human right (like in the UDHR) influenced national policies and laws.
Important Questions from Teacher education
The commission referred as "Education Commission" was chaired by:
Which among the following statement is not true about the teacher, according to the passage?
- The passage is focusing on establishing the importance of:
While making education as a fundamental right, which among the following articles of the Constitution of India was not amended/inserted?
