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Article 21A, making free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years a Fundamental Right, was added by the:
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Answer: Option B — 86th Amendment Act, 2002
Detailed Solution
The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002, inserted Article 21A in the Constitution, which says that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine.
Three changes made by the 86th Amendment:
- Article 21A was added, making elementary education a Fundamental Right.
- Article 45 (a Directive Principle) was changed: it now directs the State to endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years.
A new Fundamental Duty was added (Article 51A(k)): it is the duty of every citizen who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his or her child or ward between the ages of six and fourteen years.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act):
- Parliament passed this Act to give effect to Article 21A; it came into force on 1 April 2010.
- It provides that every child aged 6 to 14 has the right to free and compulsory education in a neighbourhood school until the completion of elementary education (Class 8).
- Private unaided schools must reserve 25 percent of their seats in the entry class for children from weaker and disadvantaged sections.
- It lays down norms for the pupil-teacher ratio, buildings, teachers' qualifications and working days.
Background:
- The original Constitution placed free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years among the Directive Principles (Article 45), with a target of ten years.
- In the Unni Krishnan case (1993), the Supreme Court held that the right to education up to 14 years is part of the right to life.
- The 86th Amendment gave this right an explicit place in the Constitution.
Number of Fundamental Duties:
With the addition of the duty relating to education, the number of Fundamental Duties became eleven.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The 73rd, 42nd and 44th Amendments dealt with other matters.
Quick tip
Remember: 86th Amendment (2002) = Article 21A (right to education, 6-14 years), changed Article 45, added Fundamental Duty 51A(k); RTE Act 2009 (in force 1 April 2010).
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Constitutional Amendments — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.