Weekly Newsletter - 3 (May)

Visiting NCPCR team's attention drawn to plight of children

Publication: The Sangai Express
Date: Wed, 2011-05-25

Imphal: The plight of the children of Manipur have become worse with the occurrence of various heinous crimes against innocent children besides the enduring onslaught of certain grave issues like the pandemic HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and child trafficking, the Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) has asserted in a memorandum to the visiting team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), New Delhi.

The alliance submitted the memorandum to the NCPCR team which is camping in Imphal since yesterday to study the issues being confronted by the children in the trouble torn state of Manipur.

The team led by Dipa Dixit, member NCPCR, comprises of BK Sahu, registrar, Sanjoy Kumar Tiwari and Ramnath Nayak, senior consultants of the commission.

They arrived here yesterday and will stay till tomorrow, May 26 .

In the memorandum, the MACR drew the attention of the NCPCR into certain care issues affecting the lives of children at the most, such as RTE (Right to Education), HIV/AIDS issues, juvenile/criminal justice system, child trafficking, drugs and children with disabilities.

They seek immediate attention to monitor and give necessary recommendations in order to safeguard and protect the right to life, right to protect and development of marginalized children.

Putting up the issues related with the RTE, the alliance alleged that the failure of timely publication and distribution of various text book prescribed by the Board of Secondary Education Manipur has affected the academic career of lakhs of students in the state.

As in previous years, this year too, the state government could not provide text books in time even though months have passed after the school session started.

The government has responded weakly only after witnessing violent protest from student's bodies, the alliance informed NCPCR and urged the visiting team to give a strong directive to the government not to repeat its failure in future.

Children belonging to socially disadvantaged categories and affected and infected by HIV/AIDS are not getting free education at neighbourhood schools under the mandatory 25% reservation policy.

A recent survey conducted by MACR and various news reports have testified the fact.

The state government/RTE implementing authority has not taken up punitive action for non-compliance of RTE's provisions and standard norms by private unaided schools, aided schools and schools under special category.

Even government run schools and schools run by the district autonomous councils in hill districts do not comply with the provisions of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the memorandum went on to point out.

The memorandum further mentions the plight of children living with HIV/AIDS, on criminal justice system relating to crimes against children and also on child trafficking and urged the NCPCR to press the state government to expedite the process for setting up of a state commission for protection of child rights.

They also informed the NCPCR that many children who have been trafficked from the state under the pretext of providing free education, shelter and jobs still remained untraced in various places outside the state such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Bangalore, etc.

Some criminals involved in previous child trafficking cases managed to get bail very easily and they continue to be involved in other crimes, the MACR stated in the memorandum.

Source: http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=18..260511.may11

Haryana to give education to 22 lakh children

Publication: DNA INDIA
Date: Thurs, 2011-05-26

Chandigarh: Haryana government today approved the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011, which would benefit about 22 lakh children in the state.

The rules have been prepared in pursuance of provisions of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

A decision to this effect was taken by cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

A state advisory council under the chairmanship of minister in-charge shall be formed to ensure proper implementation of provisions of Rules, Hooda told reporters.

There will be a primary school within a radius of one km and a middle school within three kms from a ward in case of urban area and gram panchayat in case of rural areas. No child will be denied admission for want of age proof.

The children in age group of 6-14 who are not going school will be identified and by giving special training they would be brought at par with the other students.

Continuous and comprehensive evaluation methodology will be adopted under RTE. This will make the children free from fear and anxiety of the exam, he said.

Though there will be no Board exam in Class VIII, there will be testing of the child on a regular basis at short intervals.

This testing will help teachers understand the weak areas of the child and teacher will provide additional support where needed.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_haryana-to-give-education-to-22-lakh-children_1547801

Haryana to get child rights protection commission

Publication: Indian Express
Date: Wed, 2011-05-11

Chandigarh: The Haryana government is set to come up with a commission in the state to protect rights of child welfare. Though initially it had refused to set up such a commission, on Wednesday — during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Hemant Goswami — the government apprised the Punjab and Haryana High Court of its revised stand.

A law officer appearing on behalf of the Haryana government, apprised the court that the state has taken a decision to open a Protection of Child Rights Commission. Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, Advocate A P S Shergill, had contended that according to rules, each state is under obligation to open such a commission.

On the last date of hearing, Punjab Additional Advocate General Rupinder Singh Khosla had informed the court that the Punjab government will soon come up with such a commission

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Haryana-to-get-child-rights-protection-commission/789340/

Uncertainty looms large over RTE in UP

Publication: TOI
Date: Mon, 2011-05-09

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is caught in a catch 22 situation over Right To Education (RTE) Act. The issue relates to notification of model rules for implementation of RTE, and if the state doesnt act now, scores of children could be deprived from getting admission into new schools.

The issue rose from the term neighborhood. RTE Act talks about opening of schools in neighborhood so that target of universal education can be achieved. Accordingly, each state is expected to define neighborhood, which would relate to presence of primary and upper primary schools in terms of kilometres. This could be done only when the states form and notifies rules for implementation of the RTE Act. Meanwhile, state basic education department through Sarva Shikha Abhiyan has submitted proposal for opening of more schools and training of teachers to project approval board (PAB) which decides the fate of various projects relating to primary education. PAB, which is meeting on May 9, reportedly wants to know What have the states done since free and compulsory education became every childs right. It reportedly sees notification of the rules as the first step towards implementation of the RTE Act. In UP, the rules have been drafted, but they are yet to be notified.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-09/lucknow/29524749_1_rte-act-basic-education-primary-education

Why RTE remains a moral dream

Publication: The Hindu
Date: Sat, 2011-05-21

Krishna Kumar

The law provides a five-year window to its implementation but the dream it legislated looks as elusive now as it did when the countdown started.

Like the majority of India's children, the Right to Education (RTE) Act has completed its first year facing malnourishment, neglect and routine criticism. A year after it was notified as law, the right to elementary education remains a dream. The law provides a 5-year window to its implementation but the dream it legislates looks as elusive now as it did when this countdown started. While one important clause is facing a writ in the highest court, other provisions are struggling to receive official attention in State capitals. Any assessment of the progress of RTE in its first year must begin by underlining the federal nature of governance which assigns school education squarely to the State. Few people recognise that India's federal character offers to the Ministry of HRD at the Centre the role of little more than a moral authority. No wonder the main news on RTE at the end of its first year is that the Ministry is trying hard to persuade State governments to own the new law and accept the responsibility of implementing it. The attempt has met with rather limited success. Let us examine why.

A key feature of RTE is that it emphasises quality as an integral aspect of the child's right to be educated. Part V of the RTE Act lays down fairly specific terms under which the quality of elementary education is to be ensured. These include a comfortable teacher-student ratio, curriculum reform and improvement in evaluation methods. The success of these measures depends on teachers, and that is where the system is facing its worst obstacle. The current policy discourse prefers to use the word ‘challenge' in place of ‘obstacle.' This sweet advice of management gurus is not quite relevant to the problem at hand because it has been created as a matter of policy in many States. At the top is Madhya Pradesh which has radically lowered the status of teachers with the help of a two-decade long policy delusion. Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh present similar, though less intractable, cases. The States in the north-east come next where a vast number of teachers have been appointed over the years without any attention to basic qualifications or training. West Bengal constitutes a case of its own kind, symbolising isolation from national trends and norms. If we leave aside these dire instances, many among the remaining States also present a grim picture. Instead of improving teachers' working conditions and training, many States have opted for cosmetic solutions. Orissa has taken the lead in this respect by imposing a dress code requiring teachers to wear a pink sari and a black blouse. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh may not face an acute shortage of teachers but the issues pertaining to the quality of training are just as relevant for them as they are to the northern States.

Teacher training comprises what one might call the single biggest mess the system of education has to sort out. When the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) was given statutory status as a licensing authority, it was seen as a powerful mechanism to bring order into a chaotic sector. Over the years, the NCTE has, by itself, become a part of the problem. Thousands of private outfits of dubious institutional integrity and quality have come up. The RTE requires each State to name an academic authority which will determine and improve curriculum, evaluation and training. Most States have notified their State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) as the mandated academic authority. Some, like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and West Bengal have named their Boards of Secondary Education. Apparently, these States have no institutional resources to look after the implementation of RTE. But even the ones which have assigned this task to the SCERT need to assess the academic capacity of this institution. Barring Kerala, no State has treated its SCERT with respect; one only hopes that the political change in Kerala will not hurt the remarkable status its SCERT has achieved. All others will need both guidance and money to nurture their SCERTs.

The climate of governance, which set in during the 1990s, makes outsourcing preferable to institution-building. State officials, who have the responsibility to implement the RTE do not know where to look for the knowledge and creative energy required to address the pedagogic concerns articulated in it. Terms such as child-centred teaching and continuous evaluation are alien to a system accustomed to eliminating a majority of children by declaring them ‘fail' sooner or later. A ban on corporal punishment is similarly baffling to both officials and teachers who are used to inducing fear as a way to get children to work hard.

A peculiar development of the last two decades has further compounded the situation. This factor has to do with the culture of trivia that has become the norm of schooling of the poor. Superficial training has led many teachers to perceive their job as that of baby-sitters. A pattern of poorly conceived, shallow activities, aimed at keeping children occupied without learning anything substantial, has evolved into a full-fledged routine. Children come to school, get a free meal, and it matters to no one that they make tangible progress from day to day. The cult of ‘joyful learning' has driven many among the poor to look for whatever private provision exists in their habitation. These private outfits impose a harsh regime of home work and physical punishment to show good examination results. The paucity of good teachers is just as acute in the low-fee private sector as it is in schools run by the government and local bodies. According to current estimates, the country will need well over a million teachers over the next four years in order to meet the RTE norms. Who will train that many teachers? And who will orient the existing cadre of teachers towards the child-centric vision of RTE? One might have imagined that universities will play a major role in this national enterprise, but there is no sign of such an initiative being taken. Even the newly set up central universities have ignored teacher education. Distance education is perceived as the only viable solution to this conundrum. But even for this option, there seems to be little realistic assessment of the costs involved in creating the kind of infrastructure the SCERTs will require in order to liaison with providers of distance education. The situation is apparently so desperate that even the National Open School is likely to join the list of providers of distance training. There is a great risk that a vast number of nominally trained teachers will be allowed to enter schools. The only barrier they might face is the newly introduced eligibility test which will qualify a person to seek appointment as a teacher. How that barrier works as a mechanism for ensuring quality is yet to be seen.

RTE is also facing a major court case, filed by a group of top-end public schools. They are upset with the clause which makes it mandatory for every fee-charging school to allot one-fourth of its seats to children of the poor. Our metropolitan public schools cannot bear the idea of mixing children of the poor with rich kids. Many have started an afternoon shift for the poor; others want to test the poor kids before enrolling them. RTE's radical vision prohibits such screening procedures. The cutting edge of the legal case RTE is facing arises out of the rule that the government will subsidise the reserved seats for the poor only to the extent of the per capita amount it spends in its own schools. If RTE survives this court case, it will have the potential to alter the exclusive and moribund character of the elite public schools. However, a lot of creative energy will need to go into equipping teachers serving in these schools to deal with a mixed population of children. The Loreto School of Kolkata provides a model in this respect, and one hopes that elite schools throughout the country will want to learn from it. They also need to overcome their conceptual blinkers in order to recognise that mixed classrooms provide a pedagogically superior opportunity to bring the best out of all children.

(The author is Professor of Education at Delhi University.)

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/21/stories/2011052156150600.htm