The Right to Education

Let's Right the Wrongs

In a country, which boasts of unprecedented economic development and growth, half the population of children between the ages of 6 - 18 years do not go to school.

Is this an India rising, an India that is poised to take over the world?

As held by the Supreme Court, the Right to Education is a fundamental right at par with The Right to Life. The Supreme Court also directed that in conjunction with Article 45, the State needs to provide free and compulsory education for all children below the age of 14 years.

However, the number of out of school children particularly from the disadvantaged group and those engaged in labor has remained large.

A reality check :

• Only 53% of habitation has a primary school. 
• In nearly 60% of schools, there are less than two teachers to teach Classes I to V. 
• Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls.

The Right to Education Bill 2005 was drafted to put into effect the Right to Free and Compulsory Education to All Children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. However, the UPA government's decision to return the Right to Education Bill 2005 to the states in a diluted version " the Model Right to Education Bill 2006 is a retrograde step and a direct onslaught on the Fundamental Right to Education.

The paradox is that :

• The remedy in case of violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right has not been included in the Model bill.
• In a supreme irony, it absolves the State of its constitutional responsibility and seeks to hold parents, who do not send their children to school responsible.
• The focus in the bill is urban centric and completely neglects rural realities where 30% of schools have no building, 20% are run in a single room by a single teacher and 10% of schools have no blackboards

Education helps individuals realize their full potential and live with dignity and confidence. The Right to Education is every Child's right irrespective of caste, creed, religion or economic background.

What you as citizens can do: 

If you want to make a difference, if you believe like we do, that the Right to Education needs to be every child's right, you can support CRY in its campaign 

You can -

• Pledge your support by signing the Child Rights charter online 
• Spread the word on the Right to Education for every Indian child. 
• Start by taking a walk down to the municipal school in your neighbourhood and see what you can do to change the situation. Maybe you and a few of your friends from the neighbourhood could get together and make it a more child-friendly environment. 
• Form a Citizen Action Group and participate in the activities/well-being of the neighborhood schools by addressing the quality of education and facilities.  
• Encourage your colleagues and the management in your company to help by campaigning in-house on the Right To Education  
• Build opinion on the issue
• Reject goods or services that employ children - search for and encourage those that employ and pay adults enough to send their children to school. 
• Refrain from employing a child as domestic help and suggest the same to your social contacts.

For more information please write to us at webinfo@crymail.org

Stand up for what is right!