April 1, 2010 was the day when the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education came into force. The Act mandates that all children in India between 6 - 14 years will receive free, compulsory, quality education.Girl children in India have been prevented from going to school due to various reasons - long distances from home to school, a lack of clean & separate toilets for girls, absentee teachers, household chores, taking care of siblings with both parents working... the list is endless.
It is estimated that a girl child has only a 24% chance of being enrolled in primary school and if she does get admitted to school, a 60% chance that she will drop out before she reaches high school. But this was before the Right to Education Act came into place.
Read more on the RTE Act and Girl children on Time.com - April 2010 - http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1985026,00.html
Given the situation, do you believe that the new Act will give girls an equal chance at education? Leave us your comments.
If implemented, the Act can go a long way to make it possible for more girls to reach school and complete their education. But i wonder if there is enough political will to make sure if the implementation is done appropriately.
ReplyDelete"If implemented" and "political will" in comment 1 are the key words. Nothing will change unless the state (Mainly central Govt-Mr Kapil Sibal)looks at education (not just primary but also professional education) as a great investment that will generate huge returns in the form of taxes on the value generated by educated people.
ReplyDeleteI feel RTE Act can not impower Girls. you can give rights to anyone but if they do not have the will to empower themself nothing will happen. Female ask for reservation because they feel they are week. but i feel the can do wonders if they wanted in every drory death motherinlaws & Sinterinlaws are involved. till the girls/females feel empowered and use RTE act for there benifit it wont be sucessful
ReplyDeletewhat exactly role of CRY in view of RTE.Please detail out the activity of CRY SPECIALLY IN DELHI
ReplyDeleteRTE Act will no doubt give a chance of equal right. But, only if the parents of girl child feel that educating the girl child is equally important as eduating the boy. Girls also shoulder equal responsibilities as that of boy in maintaining the family. As said above this will be possible only when the GOVT. has the polotical will to implement RTE Act in true spirit of the ACT.
ReplyDeleteNGOs can play lead role in convincing the parents of Girl Child especially in rural areas and deep interior forest regions.
M R Manjunaht
SANJAY: CRY is not just making sure the 7 lakh plus children we and our partners work with directly get access to all the rights given to India's children under the RTE Act, but also working to convince the Government to include the children left out of the RTE Act - those below 6 years of age (pre-schoolers) and those in the 14-18 age group. visit www.cry.org for details
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