II year of RTE regime starts on promising note

It seems that children admitted under the 25 per cent quota of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and their respective schools are gradually settling in and coping better with each other’s needs this year.

N Satvim and Chandana who did their LKG at an anganwadi near Yelahanka have been admitted to Class I under the RTE quota at Satya Sai School, Yelahanka. Hailing from a Kannada background, learning English would have been a difficult task for them. But, their father N Prasad says the opposite.

“Teachers have done a very good job at making my children feel comfortable as they focus specially on such children in the school.  So far they have had no problems with the transition from Kannada to English,” he said.  
   
SGM Public School in Hanumanthanagar has admitted 20 children to Class 1 under RTE quota this year, a marked increase from previous year. Of them, seven or eight need special attention as they still have a lot to learn. “There are a few children who need to improve their English language skills and adjust to the new environment. Hopefully things will be smooth within a few months with the remedial classes, where we teach these children English and other things,” said Hanumantharayappa, secretary, SGM Public School. Children are taught English for 30 to 45 minutes every day at the remedial classes.

No complaints

Such instances of better cooperation by teachers are also supported by the RTE Task Force that has been closely monitoring the implementation of the RTE in the state since its inception last year. “Last year we started getting complaints from the first day and it became worse as the days went on. This year, however, it seems as if the schools are more aware about the fact that they are being monitored,” said G Nagasimha Rao, convener of the Task Force. 

Royal Concord School, Kalyan Nagar has admitted 16 children to Class 1 under the RTE for the first time this year. “We will conduct an assessment of the children to know their areas of weakness and focus on them,” said Leema Swamy, principal of the school.