Session on RTE implementation held at SDM Law College

Session on RTE implementation held at SDM Law College

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, August 26, 2011: SDM Law College, Sichrem Bangalore, and Padi Valored of Mangalore organized an event on RTE implementation in the auditorium of SDM Law College on Aug 26 Friday.

Sichrem Director Philip Mathew was the resource person of the event. In his address, he said that the RTE Act was passed in 2009 and implemented in April 2010.

 

 

 

Stating that the government has made education for children up to 14 years of age compulsory and free, according to the RTE Act, he said that nobody is excited about it because of various problems involved. He questioned why the government has not made education free and compulsory up to the age of 18 if people are not considered adults and given voting rights till they are 18 years of age.

Stating that schools have dual standards of education for poor and rich students, he said that, although the central government has created laws such as the National Commission of Child Protection Act, it has failed to provide infrastructure.

Every school has 25 percent reservation for the poor, but parents complain to the management about their kids learning bad habits from poor children and do not want poor children to enter the school campus. Over 50 applications have been piled up in the Supreme Court, demanding that this reservation should be scrapped.

Speaking about violation of human rights in schools, he said that the condition in private schools is terrible because the teachers, instead of protecting children, are sexually abusing them.

An open discussion was later held with NGOs and students participating. The chief guest of the event was human rights activist R. Manohar.