JOIN USThe Right To Education (RTE) task force has come up with a ‘school diary’ to track the progress of children studying in various schools. The task force which has been formed by a consortium of NGOs aims to ensure effective implementation of RTE in all the schools.
The diary, which will initially be circulated among parents whose children have been admitted under RTE and are themselves members of the task force, will eventually be given to parents of school-going children for better assessment of study conditions and child-friendly policies adopted by schools.
The diary will keep track of all information about the students including syllabus, rules followed in school, food being provided, fees being paid, the environment, problems being faced by the children, teaching methods and other assorted information.
“This information will be collated and analysed at the end of every month. This will not only give us a better idea about how the children fare, but will also give us more information about the school and their policies,” convener of the task force, Nagasimha Rao said.
Parents who wish to use the diary will have to mandatorily fill in the information every day and reminders will be given to them every week to accurately fill up all the queries.
The analysis will also be shared with the Child Rights Commission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and the schools themselves.
“This is also intended to create awareness among the parents themselves, so they can actively take interest in their child and the school. For example, one school collected Rs 20 from each student for Ganapathi festival and no receipt was given for the amount collected. Parents should know that such things cannot be accepted,” Rao said.
In addition to the queries, the diary will also give information about recognising depression in children, steps to take in case a child disappears, information about sexual abuse, RTE and complaint mechanism available to the parents.