The Supreme Court of India recently issued notices to the Centre and state governments on a public interest litigation seeking effective implementation of free and compulsory education at the pre-primary level, as envisaged under the National Education Policy 2020, and its inclusion within the ambit of the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution.

Appearing for petitioner Haripriya Patel, counsel submitted that a significant proportion of children—over 60% in rural areas and nearly 30% in urban regions—depend on government schools, where gaps in teacher availability and limited access to information and technology tools are undermining learning at a critical stage of development.

The plea contended that these deficiencies disproportionately affect children from marginalized sections, weakening foundational learning outcomes during early childhood. It urged the court to consider constituting an independent monitoring authority or a court-supervised oversight committee comprising domain experts and representatives from the National Council of Educational Research and Training to ensure accountability and effective rollout of pre-primary education provisions.