CRY Volunteers North

After 3 years of enactment of RTE law, CRY conducted a study across India to find out status of its implementation. Here is report for the study. Authors: Ritika Sharma , Divyanshu Singh

...on occasion of 3rd anniversary of RTE implementation  An RTE meet was organized by the All India Parents Association (AIPA) and Social Jurist on 31st March 2013, the eve of the RTE anniversary, at the Gandhi Peace Foundation. The main panel consisted of eminent advocates and philanthropists of education industry - O.P. Sharma, I.S. Gambhir and Ashok Argawal. Many remarkable points on government schools and private schools (both low income and high income) were discussed through speeches and interactive sessions. Through the interactive session, many parents, activists and students of government schools voiced their experiences and concerns. The most common of those concerns included commercialization of education, poor quality of education, exploitation of school fees, abuse of children in school, corporal punishment and discrimination of minority group children. CRY Delhi volunteers raised the security issue of schools and the issue of discrimination faced b...

For the second time Theater Team of CRY Delhi Volunteers entertained people as well as spread awareness among them about Child Labor and Right to Education through its street play "Abhi Ek Muskaan Baki Hai" at Delhi Haat on 29th June 2012. The theater performance, which was done as part of Hindustan Times "You Read, They Learn" initiative, garnered a lot of public appreciation and attention. Motivated by the incredible public response to the two shows of the play, held till now, the team is looking forward to spread awareness through the play by performing it at several other most visited sites of Delhi. Complete Article of Hindustan Times in Print Complete Article of Hindustan Times on Web

Recently CRY opened RTE Booths at two of its GeoPAGs located at Dakshinpuri and Dwarka. These centers (also known as CACs) will be functional twice a month at both places. On the opening day itself these centers witnessed a lot of community involvement and complaints from people, as evident from following statistics: Dakshinpuri CAC             Opening day (27th March 2012 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm) statistics:                  (a) Total participation – over 200                  (b) Complaints received – 5 Dwarka CAC             Opening day (30th March 2012 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm) statistics:                  (a) Total participation – over 100                  (b) Complaints received – 2

Recently CRY opened RTE Booths at two of its GeoPAGs located at Dakshinpuri and Dwarka. These centers (also known as CACs) will be functional twice a month at both places. On the opening day itself these centers witnessed a lot of community involvement and complaints from people, as evident from following statistics: Dakshinpuri CAC             Opening day (27th March 2012 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm) statistics:                  (a) Total participation – over 200                  (b) Complaints received – 5 Dwarka CAC             Opening day (30th March 2012 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm) statistics:                  (a) Total participation – over 100                  (b) Complaints received – 2

“ There would be many more who will appreciate your efforts for the battle for schools that many children are going through. And there are many children who will need hundreds and thousands of volunteers like you to get support,” says Dr. Shanth Sinha, Chairperson, NCPCR in conversation with 2 Delhi  CRY volunteers, Abhinav Jaipuriar and Latika Nayar.  The chairperson encouraged the volunteers to come back to the commission with reports and complaints from the ground on any CR issue.She appreciated the  current work of  the CRY Volunteers’ to get out of school children enrolled into schools and said “First of all let me appreciate the work being done by you as CRY volunteers. By your efforts to bring out of school children into school, you have touched the core of the problem of RTE. There would be many more who will appreciate your efforts for the battle for schools that many children are going through. And there are many children who will need hundreds and thousa...

“ There would be many more who will appreciate your efforts for the battle for schools that many children are going through. And there are many children who will need hundreds and thousands of volunteers like you to get support,” says Dr. Shanth Sinha, Chairperson, NCPCR in conversation with 2 Delhi  CRY volunteers, Abhinav Jaipuriar and Latika Nayar.  The chairperson encouraged the volunteers to come back to the commission with reports and complaints from the ground on any CR issue.She appreciated the  current work of  the CRY Volunteers’ to get out of school children enrolled into schools and said “First of all let me appreciate the work being done by you as CRY volunteers. By your efforts to bring out of school children into school, you have touched the core of the problem of RTE. There would be many more who will appreciate your efforts for the battle for schools that many children are going through. And there are many children who will need hundreds ...

Today, while discussing the works of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Monica Ali with my friend over a cuppa at the Oxford Book Store, epiphany struck me... That I was only among a smattering percentage of India's vast demography who had been to a high school and would be successfully completing her junior college ( graduation)... About 60% of girls my age in the country would have dropped out of college till now, would be married, raising kids and doomed forever to live a life of diffidence, impoverishment and ignorance. The boys would be working as cheap labour for factories, as domestic workers, as roadside beggars or worse still, as pimps and drug dealers... Sadly, education like most of the basic things in the country, is still not egalitarian. Though the middle class and the upper class is well educated, education in the proletariat is still elusive. The blame game names corrupt politicians, inefficient governments, inactive government teachers and also, the slimy and ugly working class...

Today, while discussing the works of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Monica Ali with my friend over a cuppa at the Oxford Book Store, epiphany struck me... That I was only among a smattering percentage of India's vast demography who had been to a high school and would be successfully completing her junior college ( graduation)... About 60% of girls my age in the country would have dropped out of college till now, would be married, raising kids and doomed forever to live a life of diffidence, impoverishment and ignorance. The boys would be working as cheap labour for factories, as domestic workers, as roadside beggars or worse still, as pimps and drug dealers... Sadly, education like most of the basic things in the country, is still not egalitarian. Though the middle class and the upper class is well educated, education in the proletariat is still elusive. The blame game names corrupt politicians, inefficient governments, inactive government teachers and also, the slimy and ugly working clas...

While deciding for a campaign, always be flexible as it might be that you would have to change your approach.Example : Dwarka postcard campaign. Initially it was decided that we would go for RTE campaign and target 25% reservation for EWSchildren in private schools. But after initial surveys we realised that first the government schools need to be disciplined.More than 50 households were surveyed in the Bharat vihar colony, Dwarka. Since there were Nagar Nigam and Rajkiya Sarvodaya school in the nearby area, so the survey had questions concerning government schools in the area as well. While going through the surveys it became apparent that locals were more interested in issues concerning government schools.What also compelled us to shift our focus was the apprehension that locals had for private schools.Since the RTE was implemented this year only and it was not binding on private schools to accomodate all the provisions in the Bill,we decided to shift our focus from private to govern...

While deciding for a campaign, always be flexible as it might be that you would have to change your approach.Example : Dwarka postcard campaign. Initially it was decided that we would go for RTE campaign and target 25% reservation for EWSchildren in private schools. But after initial surveys we realised that first the government schools need to be disciplined.More than 50 households were surveyed in the Bharat vihar colony, Dwarka. Since there were Nagar Nigam and Rajkiya Sarvodaya school in the nearby area, so the survey had questions concerning government schools in the area as well. While going through the surveys it became apparent that locals were more interested in issues concerning government schools.What also compelled us to shift our focus was the apprehension that locals had for private schools.Since the RTE was implemented this year only and it was not binding on private schools to accomodate all the provisions in the Bill,we decided to shift our focus from private to gover...

When I read the newspaper, I sometimes feel that I live in a totally different world. How can I, sitting in the luxury of my drawing room my legs fully stretched on the cushy sofa legs understand the misery of a child forced to work in a firecracker workshop inhaling millions of poisonous gases, so that he can get a morsel of food. I am definitely not capable of understanding either what a young girl goes through when her parents just to feed their remaining children sell her off. I thought I knew what pain was until I saw children at the construction site pick up bricks twice their weight. This is probably one of the many things I can never understand rather dread to understand. Once when I was traveling in the train with my friend, I saw a small girl not more than 6 years old with her face all painted in different colours. On entering the compartment she immediately started doing Hoola-hoop around her neck and then around her waist. Her mother carrying a toddler was singing a song to...

When I read the newspaper, I sometimes feel that I live in a totally different world. How can I, sitting in the luxury of my drawing room my legs fully stretched on the cushy sofa legs understand the misery of a child forced to work in a firecracker workshop inhaling millions of poisonous gases, so that he can get a morsel of food. I am definitely not capable of understanding either what a young girl goes through when her parents just to feed their remaining children sell her off. I thought I knew what pain was until I saw children at the construction site pick up bricks twice their weight. This is probably one of the many things I can never understand rather dread to understand. Once when I was traveling in the train with my friend, I saw a small girl not more than 6 years old with her face all painted in different colours. On entering the compartment she immediately started doing Hoola-hoop around her neck and then around her waist. Her mother carrying a toddler was singing a song...

As you might have read in papers, a private school association in Rajasthan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Right To Education Act. Interestingly they have called it unconstitutional as the Act requires those schools to reserve 25% of their seats for children from poor economic background. Read more about this in the following news links: http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article267634.ece http://news.indiainfo.com/article/100323132807_c-84-61223/974326.html http://www.zeenews.com/news613378.html Manorath sent a letter to the HRD Ministry asking Mr. Sibal to not to succumb to this pressure from the private school lobby. We have decided to file an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court. We also initiated an online petition. The link to the petition is here. http://www.petitiononline.com/mn111112/petition.html If you support this cause, make yourself heard. Your signature will also support the Intervention Application we are going to file.

As you might have read in papers, a private school association in Rajasthan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Right To Education Act. Interestingly they have called it unconstitutional as the Act requires those schools to reserve 25% of their seats for children from poor economic background. Read more about this in the following news links: http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article267634.ece http://news.indiainfo.com/article/100323132807_c-84-61223/974326.html http://www.zeenews.com/news613378.html Manorath sent a letter to the HRD Ministry asking Mr. Sibal to not to succumb to this pressure from the private school lobby. We have decided to file an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court. We also initiated an online petition. The link to the petition is here. http://www.petitiononline.com/mn111112/petition.html If you support this cause, make yourself heard. Your signature will also support the Intervention Application we are going to file. ...