The Indian constitution contains provisions requiring the state to provide education to all of its citizens. In its original enactment, the Indian constitution defined education as a state subject. In 1976, an amendment to Article 42 of the constitution was added, and education became a concurrent list subject, allowing the central government to legislate it in the manner best suited to it. Furthermore, India is a signatory to a number of international covenants, including the Jomtien Declaration, the UNCRC, the MDG goals, the Dakar Declaration, and the SAARC SDG charter for children, all of which are binding on its commitment to making education a reality for all children.

Nearly eight years after the Constitution was amended to make education a fundamental right, the government of India implemented legislation on April 1, 2010 to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen.
Parliament passed the 86th Constitutional Amendment, making education a fundamental right, in 2002. Last year, Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, which enables the implementation of the fundamental right. Both the constitutional amendment and the new law went into effect on April 1, 2010.

The new law requires state governments and local governments to ensure that every child receives an education in a nearby school.
The Constitution (Eighty-sixth) Amendment Act has now inserted Article 21A into the Constitution, which states that: 'The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen years in the manner determined by law.'

Thus, the Constitution of India provides for a comprehensive framework for the promotion of education and the protection of the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of society.