RTE ignored in party manifestos, rues Delhi education forum

A city based education forum said it is regrettable that major political parties failed to include effective implementation of Right to Education Act in Delhi in their manifestos for the December 4 Assembly polls.

"While the parties talk about a few dimensions of the RTE, the manifestos failed to provide strategies to improve quality education and ensure the right is well implemented in the state," Annie Nammala, one of the conveners of the Delhi Right to Education Forum said today.

"Party manifestos are silent about setting up of School Management Committees (SMCs) and providing adequate budgets for the schools to effectively implement RTE," she said.

The forum demanded proper implementation of the RTE ACT and expanding its scope to include children from 3-18 years.

It further said that school availability and infrastructure needs to be increased and enhanced specially in the urban peripheries, unrecognised colonies, resettlement colonies and jhuggi-jhopri clusters and urban villages.

Special attention is needed for migrant children, SC, ST children, Muslim children, children with disability, children engaged in rag-picking and children whose parents are engaged in stigmatised occupations, forum members stated.

"There is urgent need to address discrimination and corporal punishment in schools. The private sector in education needs to be regulated with respect to recognition process, fee structures and curriculum.

"The distance criteria of 1 km for admission under 25 per cent reservation needs to be removed and laadli scheme extended to all girls regardless of their birthplace," said another forum convener, Bharat Singh.

The forum had recently also held 'Vote for Education' campaign demanding serious attention towards improving the quality of education in the state.