RTE Act and rights of children in Manipur
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 10, 2012 -

With passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, in short, Right to Education (RTE) Act by Parliament on August 4, 2009 and its subsequent implementation all over the country (with exception to Jammu & Kashmir) with effect from April 1, 2010, India became one of the 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child.

Though the present Act has its history in the drafting of the Indian constitution at the time of Independence, and more specifically to the 2002 Constitutional Amendment that included the Article 21A in the Indian constitution making education a fundamental Right, passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has been hailed as a historic moment for the children of India because it guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the state with the help of families and communities.

In fact, few countries in the world have such a National provision to ensure both free and child-friendly education.

Among other salient features, the Act not just ensures free and compulsory education but quality education to all the children in the age group of 6 to 14 years till completion of elementary education, calls for a fixed teachers-pupil ratio (1:30 for primary class and 1:35 for upper primary class) and professional training for teachers, provides 25 percent for economically disadvantaged communities in admission to class I in all private and special category schools and mandates development of necessary infrastructures.

Another significant feature of the Act is the monitoring of the implementation of the Act by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, an autonomous body set up in 2007, together with Commissions to be set up by the State governments concerned.

Now the question is how far the children in Manipur have been able to enjoy their fundamental rights of access to free and quality education in Manipur.

With a fresh academic session just about to start, the craze for parents to send their children to private schools spending their hard-earned money continues to be a harsh reality in Manipur even after nearly three years of enactment and implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and the cry for quality education remains a favourite slogan on everyone's lips.

This is nothing but a direct indictment on the state of educational affairs prevailing in the government schools of Manipur.

From this development, at least, we can rest assure on one thing, that is, the concern of the parents towards education of their children.

Why the parents would send their children to private schools that too, at the prospect of spending huge amount of money if the government schools in Manipur were as good as the provisions guaranteed in the Act.

This is an issue that should not be brushed aside and it calls for introspection on the part of decision makers and government officials, who have been entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the Act in letter and spirit.

It is also mandatory on the part of the State administration to see that the required Commission for Protection of Child Rights is instituted to monitor the implementation of the Act in Manipur.

When last time we heard, the State Cabinet is learnt to have taken a decision on setting up Manipur State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on November 16, 2011 and a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court had issued a directive to the government for setting up the mandatory Commission on or before December 12, 2011.

What have happened to the Cabinet decision and the Court directive? Only God knows.