UPSC Mains 2026 GS4 Q5a: model answer

The administrator faces a clash between the rule of law and the right to education under Article 21A and the RTE Act, 2009. Closing schools would punish the very children the rules exist to protect.

Principles

• The purpose of regulation is children's safety and learning, not the rule for its own sake.
• Separate non-negotiable rules (building safety, child protection, no corporal punishment) from developmental ones (playground size, library, teacher qualifications).

Balanced approach

• Enforce safety rules strictly and immediately.
• Give time-bound improvement plans for the rest, with support.
• Help schools comply: Samagra Shiksha funds, teacher training, cluster resource centres, CSR.
• If a school must close, ensure every child is moved to another school with transport, as RTE's neighbourhood norm requires.
• Publish progress to the community and School Management Committees.

Rules should lift schools up, not shut them down. Firm on safety, flexible on infrastructure, and always guided by the child's best interest.