THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education is a fundamental right of every child, Governor P Sathasivam has said. He was inaugurating the 37th National Level ‘learn to live together’ camp organised by Indian Council for Child Welfare.
“The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 obligates the State to provide education to children in the age group of 6-14 years. In Kerala, we have strengthened the foundations of education by upgrading thousands of our classrooms as smart classrooms. We also have the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 which has set the age for marriage of boys at 21 years and that of girls at 18 years. In addition, we have laws against child labour and strict provisions to protect children from sexual assault and harassment”, Sathasivam said.
He also said that children should also be aware of their duties as citizens. “We live in an age which is affected by two major issues: one is the unhealthy competition for scoring high marks, which makes children insensitive to the pulse of society, and the second is the addiction to electronic devices which affect children in many ways. I have a feeling that these issues are hampering the process of social interactions among our children,” Sathasivam added.
“Social gatherings like this camp are an answer to the rising levels of insensitivity among children. It is in such gatherings that they come face to face with the life of children in other parts of our country. These interactions also foster better understanding about people of other regions,” Sathasivam said.