Bangalore: The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has announced it is mulling over the idea of widening the ambit of Right to Education (RTE) by extending the age limit of children up to 16 years, reports Maitreyee Boruah of DNA. Presently, the RTE Act covers children between age group of 6 and 14 years. S.C. Khuntia, Joint Secretary (School Education), HRD Ministry said, "The ministry is planning to include children up to 16 years in the RTE Act. We want to reach the target of universal education by 2017." The RTE Act is to be implemented next year in various states across the nation. The MHRD's proposal to include 16 year olds under RTE is an endeavor to give education for all till the secondary level. The Act, which was introduced in April this year, mandates schools - government, private, aided or unaided- to set aside 25 percent of their seats for poor neighborhood children. However, this rule has been vehemently opposed by several private schools. And the new ruling to include 16 year olds will further be met with opposition from the schools, feel experts. In a related news, the CBSE is working on a curriculum and syllabus that can be used by students of various boards. Khuntia said, "We are preparing a core-curriculum and syllabus for students in Standard XII. The curriculum is meant for students studying in various boards, across the country." An international curriculum is also said yo be worked upon to include the schools beyond the borders of the country.