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  5. The Right to Education Act: Trends in Enrollment, Test Scores, and School Quality

The Right to Education Act: Trends in Enrollment, Test Scores, and School Quality

  • Manisha Shah
  • Bryce Steinberg
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 109, May 2019
(pp. 232-38)
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Abstract

The Right to Education (RTE) Act passed in 2009 guarantees access to free primary education to all children ages 6-14 in India. This paper investigates whether national trends in educational outcomes change around the time of this law using household surveys and administrative data. We document four trends: (1) school-going increases after the passage of RTE, (2) test scores decline dramatically after 2010, (3) school infrastructure appears to improve both before and after RTE, and (4) the number of students who have to repeat a grade falls precipitously after RTE is enacted, in line with official provisions of the law.

Citation

Shah, Manisha, and Bryce Steinberg. 2019. "The Right to Education Act: Trends in Enrollment, Test Scores, and School Quality." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 109: 232-38. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20191060

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • H52 National Government Expenditures and Education
  • I21 Analysis of Education
  • I25 Education and Economic Development
  • I28 Education: Government Policy
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration