All government teachers will be asked to ensure that every child who passes eighth standard is admitted to ninth standard and completes 10th standard, Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia said on Thursday.
This is a State initiative to ensure that free and compulsory education, which now covers only elementary level (till class eight), is extended up to secondary level, he said at a workshop on Karnataka Multi Sectoral Nutrition Pilot projects.
Mr. Khuntia said there is need to ensure that compulsory education is extended till class 10. Lauding Sri Lanka and Cuba that are performing well in health and nutrition, he said: “The governments there are following a basic needs approach, which includes nutrition, health and minimum education facility for children.”
“This should start from birth and we should put all efforts in addressing the needs of children and extending the purview of RTE Act up to secondary level. A decision should be taken by the Centre,” the Chief Secretary said.
Lauding the Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission’s Multi Sectoral Nutrition Pilot projects, Mr. Khuntia said the departments of Health, Women and Child Welfare, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj should come together and develop a strategy to integrate the project with existing programmes.
The pilot project is aimed at improving nutrition outcomes by adopting an inter-generational, life-cycle approach through interventions focussing on nutritional and nutrition-related needs of children from 0-3 years, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women. Under the programme, energy dense food supplements are distributed to over 35,000 beneficiaries in Devadurga and Chincholi taluks, said Veena S. Rao, Advisor to Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission.
