“You should study hard, ask as many questions as you can, and seek answers to those questions. I promise that India will provide opportunities to all of you to fulfil your hopes and dreams…” Students of almost all schools in the city heard these words being read out in the morning assembly on Friday.
Part of a special message they received from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the occasion of National Education Day – the birth anniversary of India's first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – it also marked the launch of the nationwide ‘Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan' campaign that seeks to give a push to the implementation of the Right To Education Act. The letter was read out to students across the country.
The Prime Minister's message serves as a strong reminder to the Tamil Nadu Government which is yet to notify the rules of the Act. Every time the issue was brought up in the last few months, it has given only one answer – “very soon.”
The effective implementation of the Act promises to address a host of issues pertaining to school education and many working with children are pinning their hopes on the Act for change.
HIV/AIDS
In a discussion here on Friday, members from 10 districts level Networks of People Living with HIV/AIDS came together at a State-level consultation on strengthening the implementation of the RTE Act for Children Vulnerable to and living with HIV/AIDS (CLHA). A stigma-free school environment is still a distant dream for such children.
A recent survey of 50 children living with HIV/AIDS conducted in six districts of Tamil Nadu revealed that 34 per cent of children faced discrimination in schools after their status was revealed and out of this 94 per cent of the discrimination was caused either by the headmaster or a teacher. The results were from a study conducted by the Positive Women Network and the Centre for Advocacy and Research.
While the Tamil Nadu Trust for Children Affected by AIDS provides educational, nutritional and medical support to HIV positive children, there are limitations on resources, said S.Thennarasu, regional coordinator (care, support and treatment), Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society, stating that efforts are being made to seek more government funding so that children can benefit.
D.Rajendran, joint director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Government of Tamil Nadu, urged participants to use the complaint cell (28273591) set up by the School Education Department for any child-related issue. “Teachers will be provided counselling to sensitise them to issues related to affected and infected children. While every teacher serves as a counsellor to the students, teachers themselves require counselling on some issues” he said, adding that a School Management Committee will soon come into place with parents and children becoming members, to find a permanent solution to the discrimination faced by some students.
The government should ensure that CLHA be given midday meals and free uniforms, said P.Manorama, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee.
“It is important that the rules under the RTE be released by the government as soon as possible,” said K.Shanmugavelayutham, convenor, TN-Forces.
Awareness of the RTE Act should be a continuous process and efforts should be made to set up the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights immediately, he added.
