High Court raps government on poor RTE implementation

Severely indicting the State government on its rather lackadiscal approach in effectively implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act , the High Court, said the government was in a serious state of denial believing that Karnataka was way ahead of other states in education, while, in reality, it was most backward in the implementation of RTE and formulating appropriate schemes to bring the drop out children back to school.

Taking a suo motu cognisance based on a news item published in an English daily, the High Court division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna, observed that the State government seems to have no clue at all on how to go about the task, questioning it as to why it had not come up with any schemes so far.

Directing the government to provide incentives such as cash benefits which would wean away child labour, the bench also observed that a responsible officer from education department be present for the next hearing so that he could readily answer all questions asked by the court.

The suo motu PIL taken up by the court on the news item had stated that 54,000 students are still out of school despite government implementing the RTE Act.  However, Kathyayini Chamaraj, activist who impleaded in the PIL, submitted to the court that it was not just 54,000 children, but more than 6.28 lakh children according to government statistics.

With regard to anganwadis in the State, the amicus curiae submitted that there are 63,800 anganwadis in the State and nearly 50 per cent of them have serious infrastructural problems and have to be shifted to nearby government property.

The bench observed that necessary action be taken by complying with the recommendation made by the committee and directed the government counsel to ensure at least drinking water facility to the children.