Activists and NGOs working for effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in the state have decided to provide more publicity for the Act during the next academic year.
This decision was taken at the RTE consultation meeting organised by BOSCO, an NGO, in association with Save the Children and RTE task force in the city on Friday. At the meeting, representatives of various NGOs expressed their opinions about the lack of awareness among parents about the RTE Act due to lack of publicity.
The members decided to create awareness by publicising particular issues pertaining to the Act. Vasudeva Sharma, director of Child Right Trust Aid, said, “We should stop calling schools as private schools. Schools are not companies to call them private. Let us start calling such schools as non-government schools.”
Katyayani Chamraj, an RTE activist, said, “There is a need for publicity among parents and children about their rights. We should demand that the government give more publicity to education at the cluster level, which will help avoid to dropouts.”
Issues to be Addressed
■ Parents should cooperate with NGOs and activists for better implementation of RTE
■ RTE Act has been implemented even before it was properly publicised and publicity should be improved
■ Need to take up legal fight to implement the RTE Act even in minority institutions
■ Demand for constituting a Fee Regulatory Committee
■ Teachers should be made responsible for slow learners
■ Continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) must be introduced instead of exams
■ Must exert pressure on the Centre to make it mandatory for schools to have a playground
■ Publicity about child helpline, Child Welfare Committee and Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights at schools