Rights To Education
In the verge of planning to go at Delhi for IAS coaching classes, proposal made by a friend on 12th of this April that Deepak, why not to engage a child for your room cleanup, cooking, laundering garments etc. Suggestion made with fare intuition to facilitate me. Breathtakingly! Proposal made Just 12 days through the applicability of free and compulsory elementary education for the child in age group of 6 to 14 year "The Right to Education Act, 2009".
In way back year 2002, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan launched in the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to cover up large chunk of child in education schools. This historic landmark Abhiyan expired on 31st March, 2010. Human resources ministry successfully get enacted this bill through both houses of parliaments in July 2009 though applicable from 1st April 2010 and again achieved a milestone as achieved in way back 2002 through made it a constitutional right under Article 21A by "The Constitutional (86th Amendment) Act, 2002". Recently finance commission handover initial fund Rs 25000cr for benefit of estimated 1cr children through this Act.
Law maker not only emphasise on food for mind but also for belly. Infrastructural need is also addressed. Despite of all effort, this right is also threatens to emerge only a right on government's report card. Even if beneficiaries of this right are denied or violated then also they can't even launch legal battle, due to minority, without getting satisfied their guardian to represent them. Even if later on they won, no compensation can represent the childhood once chocked.
Government of bihar and UP already denied to implement it due to paucity of teachers, and required minimum infrastructure at schools. Ill trained and under- paid teachers, ill equipped educational infrastructure like lack of safe roof, visible black board, computers in number, playgrounds with playing material, library with sufficient books and sanitation facility specially fro girl child will lead to no education at all and waste childhood in the name of school teaching. Only teachers' watch like policeman over child will not lead to physical, emotional, mental and overall development of child. Apart from infrastructural need, it also required to educate periodically teachers not only in their subject but also to eliminate conventional notion of control like corporal punishment, metal harassment and discipline. Quality is integral part of education right and if denied then denied from right. Children friendly education system is must for not to drop out before age of 14th and to ensure education free from stress, anxiety and fear.
Private sector has already filed application against 25% reservation provision for economically weaker section, to challenge its constitutional authority, in private school. Even if government won battle, NCPCR (National commission for protection of child right) does not have enough branches and infrastructure to continuous monitoring and periodically investigation of schools. Further Voucher system itself is a provision which discriminate weaker section in private school and demoralise child. Corruption may be a major hurdle similar to MGREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural employment guarantee Act) and may totally end up motivation of central government which is already in trouble of vast gap for finance provided and needed.
Pre schooling education is backbone of next eight year of education and a proper policy in this regards can also helpful to attract child and their parents for education because for extremely poor family earning of foods gets preference over earning of wisdom but unfortunately a single provision does not deal with this regard as far as this act is concern. Further In the era of competition a 8th pass student having merely elementary education will get hardly any opportunity of qualitative job and it hardly fulfils economic expectation from study. Therefore this right must be extended beyond elementary education and provided till college level teaching.
Mere enactment of Act over Act like Right to information (RTI) Act, MGREGA and now RTE will not lead to any miracle. It requires a lot of prior homework to pass the true benefit of provision to venerable and disadvantaged group. A close coordination and cooperation in between human resource department and other ministry like child and women development ministry, information technology ministry, rural development ministry etc. is must after enactment.
Statement showing importance of education, with well wishes, by our honourable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is "I was born to a family of modest means. In my childhood I had to walk a long distance to go to school. I read under a dim light of kerosene lamp. I am what I am today because of education. I want every Indian child, boy or girl, to be so touched by the light of education. I want every Indian to dream of better future and live the dream."
RTE is a tool to provide education without having discrimination of caste and an opportunity for economic weaker section but it is a duty of every citizen to motivate those who are not keen to get their child educated. A collective action will educate every Indian.
By
Deepak Kumar
