Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the enactment of the law in a televised address to the nation on Thursday. "Today, our government comes before you to redeem the pledge of giving all our children the right to elementary education," Singh said.

With the enactment of this historic law, education in India has become a fundamental right. Under the legislation, which was passed last year, all states in the country must now provide free compulsory schooling to every child aged between six and 14.

Education for all

Currently, an estimated 10 million children, mainly from poor backgrounds, do not go to school in India, despite the government’s spending 3 percent of its annual budget on education and the building of schools.

"The government is committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education," the prime minister has promised.

Recalling the role of education in his own career, Singh said: "In my childhood, I had to walk a long distance to go to school. I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am today because of education."

The Indian government has allotted some 38 billion US dollars (28 billion euros) to implement the act over the next five years.

Concerns over lack of facilities

Experts across India have welcomed the enactment of the act but many say the road ahead will not be easy, simply because there is a lack of teachers and adequate schools, particularly in rural areas.

Ramesh Chandra, an educationist in New Delhi, said the act was an important step but said its successful implementation would take time. "We need to strengthen teacher training programs and other facilities. There are currently many schools in villages, which do not have roofs and those which have roofs do not have blackboards," he said.

The UN children's agency UNICEF and the International Labor Organization said the act would help the world achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education.

du/AFP/Reuters/PTI/AP

Editor: Anne Thomas