The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State government to submit a report after amending the Karnataka Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2012’s Section 6 and bringing the dropout children to school.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna passed the order while hearing a suo motu case based on media reports that even after the implementation of Right to Education (RTE) 54,000 children are still out of the schools.
The Bench said there is a need to bring an amendment to this rule to identify the children who are not getting education and dropouts and bring them back to school.
Counsel representing the government submitted that a meeting will be held with Chief Secretary on March 29 to take a final decision in this regard.
Member of NGO Civic Bangalore Kathyini Chamaraj submitted that there is a need of bringing amendment to the rules to provide free and compulsory eduction to the children of the State.
The Education Department has prepared a draft, but its officials are not serious about the issue in RTE meetings.
Jayna Kothari, counsel representing Azim Premji Foundation, emphasised on the need to start education camps to bring children to schools. The officials should be directed to work from the ground level, the counsel said.
The amendment seeks setting up of an attendance authority to maintain the records of the children and their parents, to issue attendance notification to those children who have not attended school for seven days, to excuse the child, if the there is a reasonable excuse for not attending the school, to entrust Children Welfare Committee to counsel parents to provide economic benefit depending on the case and to ensure that the child attends school.