The Indian government is expected to introduce a landmark education bill in parliament after it was delayed due to procedural difficulties, BBC online reports Friday.
The bill seeks to guarantee universal, free and compulsory education for children aged between six and 14. The government estimates that at present 70 million children do not go to school and more than a third of the country is illiterate.
The bill would set up new state-run local schools and force private schools to reserve at least a quarter of their places for poor children. It will also end widespread practices by which schools impose admission fees on parents to guarantee their children a place and bureaucrats enjoy discretionary powers on deciding who to let in.
The centre-left government is keen to introduce the legislation into the lower house of parliament quickly, as the current parliamentary session ends next week.
Achieving universal education is one of the UNs Millennium Development Goals to be met by the year 2015.
