Role of LSG in Realising the Right to Education in North India

Role of LSG in Realising the Right to Education in North India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Role of LSG in Realising the Right to Education in North India Punnet Pathak, Naina Catherine Benny, Ramandeep Kaur This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9146753/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper investigates the role of local self-governance in realising the Right to Education (RTE) through a comparative study of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The study utilises a mixed-method research design with a sample of 1,050 respondents, which comprises 150 Panchayat members and 900 beneficiaries. The research evaluates the performance of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through the "Respect, Protect, Fulfil, and Promote" (RPFP) framework and also assesses the implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the RTE Act of 2009. The paper suggests that, in spite of the availability of well-developed physical infrastructure and awareness about legal provisions, there is a significant gap in community engagement and monitoring of student dropouts. It asserts that the role of decentralisation has played a vital institutional role in linking rights-based legislation with the provision of services. However, its transformative role is being obstructed by limited financial autonomy, capacity-building, and a tendency to focus on procedural compliance rather than people-centred governance. Improving capacity, enhancing financial autonomy, and focusing on outcome-based monitoring are crucial for the Right to Education to move from access to the realisation of substantive educational opportunities and dignity for every child. Right to Education Local Self-Governance Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Panchayati Raj Institutions Gram Panchayat Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9146753","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":618086018,"identity":"1474832e-843d-4775-a4e3-ac82099cc54d","order_by":0,"name":"Punnet Pathak","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Central University of Punjab","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Punnet","middleName":"","lastName":"Pathak","suffix":""},{"id":618086020,"identity":"78739fb1-9e51-4740-9158-3e20c7055fef","order_by":1,"name":"Naina Catherine Benny","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Central University of Punjab","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Naina","middleName":"Catherine","lastName":"Benny","suffix":""},{"id":618086021,"identity":"c9e31cb3-039a-4ad6-b0be-caef6a699a94","order_by":2,"name":"Ramandeep Kaur","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Punjabi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ramandeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Kaur","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-17 09:23:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9146753/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9146753/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106726464,"identity":"dd455637-c7a1-4b0f-8fc4-62a68d3a6536","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-12 18:36:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1003783,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9146753/v1_covered_bbb36728-aaa4-4df0-9973-83cd81d8e6ac.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Role of LSG in Realising the Right to Education in North India","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Right to Education, Local Self-Governance, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Gram Panchayat","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9146753/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9146753/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis paper investigates the role of local self-governance in realising the Right to Education (RTE) through a comparative study of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. 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