How does one describe a hair oil, which is designed to help hair grow, but after actual use causes the remaining hair to fall? Or, how does one describe a potency drug, which is prescribed to cure impotency but which, when used, makes someone permanently impotent?

There is no single word or phrase, at present, in the English language that can accurately describe such a behaviour or effect – wherein, the result yielded is the exact opposite of the one intended. But thanks to RTE (Right to Education Act), which is having a similar effect of destroying education instead of improving it, we might soon be able to describe all such contrarian effects with a simple phrase – “doing an RTE!” For instance, it may be fair to say that “the hair oil did an RTE on its user” to indicate that the hair oil caused hair fall instead of hair growth or that the “potency drug did an RTE on the patient”, to indicate that the potency drug increased impotency instead of curing it.

The present write up, seeks to capture the some of the dangerous implications of RTE and thereby justify the usage of the phrase “doing an RTE!”

The RTE Act was passed by Parliament in 2009 with the ‘intended’ objective of providing ‘free and compulsory education to all’ children between the age of six and 14. Let us evaluate how ‘successful’ RTE has been in achieving exactly the opposite. Let’s look at its impact on a few of the critical parameters:

1. Has RTE Succeeded In Providing “Free Education For All?”

The answer is a big no.

RTE has neither provided nor will it ever be able to provide “free education for all” because it is just not designed to do so. In fact, “free education for all”, seems more like a homily thrown in to silence any likely opposition, than like a statement of serious intent. Look at the table below: