The apex body for child rights has appealed to all state governments to disqualify political candidates for local body and panchayati raj elections if they do not send their children to school.
As per the recommendation by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a candidate must produce a certificate from his child’s school as proof. The recommendation would be applicable for those with children aged between 6 and 14 years.
Certificate from school
“We have appealed to state governments to amend electoral rules for local body polls and panchayati raj institutions and say that anyone who wants to contest polls will need to produce a certificate from his child’s school to prove that his/her ward is enrolled there and is attending school regularly,” said Priyank Kanoongo, Member, RTE and Education, NCPCR.
The NCPCR official calls it a “new milestone” in creating awareness as an elected representative will be an example to society. He also said the move will help draw a politician’s attention towards the state of schools in his state.
