New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) The apex child rights panel National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Tuesday rolled out a fresh set of guidelines to monitor implementation of the right to education act that has completed two years.
“The NCPCR, which has the mandate of monitoring the rights of children under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, has moved into its third year of monitoring RTE implementation. The key challenges will be addressed in the next one year,” a statement from the panel said.
Chaired by Shanta Sinha, the panel lists some of its key priorities as establishing a grievance redressal mechanism and accountability from the school, total ban on corporal punishment in practice, and investments in special needs for children with disabilities, among others.
“The Commission appreciates the national campaign on ‘Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan’, launched by the Ministry of HRD, and hopes that it would create an atmosphere to meet the challenges,” Sinha said.
The campaign was launched to increase awareness about education in the masses, especially among young children. The country-wide campaign aims at creating awareness among people about RTE and their entitlement to free and compulsory education.
The right to education act came into force in 2010 and so far 21 states have notified the rules. The NCPCR has covered 439 wards and 700 schools in its social audit process across 12 States in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Orissa and Karnataka.
“About 2,500 cases were heard and over 100 NGOs participated in registering complaints and bringing the cases to the notice of the Commission. Altogether, 2,850 complaints have been received from 28 states on issues relating to admission, corporal punishment, detention of children, discrimination, teachers’ attendance, 25 percent reservation for EWS in private schools, charging of excess fees and inadequate infrastructure in the past two years,” the NCPCR added in the statement.
–Indo-Asian News service
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