The new law says that all children between the ages of six and 14 have a right to go to school, wherever they live or however much money their family has.

At the moment there is on average one teacher for 50 pupils. The law also states that this number should be reduced so each teacher has a class of 30 pupils. To make this change 1.2 million teachers will need to be found. The new law will cost India around £23 billion over the next five years.

As we reported in First News last week, 72 million children around the world are still not in school so this news is welcomed by children’s campaigners. However, there are warnings that India need to make sure this law is put into practice and that all the children missing out on education really do get into school.
If you would like to find out more about the Global Campaign for Education, log on to www.sendmyfriend.org