The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has ordered the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in the State to permit parents to meet their children at least once a week.
Until now, parents of Navodaya Vidyalayas were allowed to meet their children only once in a month. The commission found that denial of permission for parents to meet their children as a serious violation of child rights.
The commission, in its order issued on Tuesday, asked the Deputy Commissioner of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Hyderabad region, and the Assistant Commissioner (school administration) at Navodaya headquarters in Noida to issue circulars to all 14 Navodayas in Kerala to permit parents to meet their children at least once a week.
Commission member K. Nazeer issued the order in connection with a complaint filed by K. Radhakrishnan from Vallanghy, Nemmara, against the authorities of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Malampuzha, where the parents were allowed to meet their children only on second Saturdays of every month.
“It is a gross violation of the rights of children. We cannot brook such violations under any circumstances,” Mr. Nazeer told The Hindu . The commission observed that restricting the parent-child meeting to once a month would lead to severe mental stress for children. Mr. Nazeer also pointed out that there were several incidents of student dropouts because of such restrictions in meeting their parents.
In his order, Mr. Nazeer said that “even children admitted in a child care institution has the right to see their relative once in a week. Rule 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules 2016 provides that every child in the childcare institutions may be permitted to have one meeting a week with their relative.”
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are functioning across the country under the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development. One school is functioning in every district admitting students from classes six to Plus Two.