WUNRN
Times of India
Aaditi Isaac - Dec 12, 2011
Nearly
two-thirds of children who are denied their right to education are female. At
the World Education Forum, Dakar, 2000, countries agreed on ensuring that by
2015 all children, particularly girls, will have access to complete free and
compulsory education of good quality. As we approach 2012, what is the status
of girls' education in India?
A focus on girls' education was put in place since the 1986 National Policy on Education and the 1992 Programme of Action, followed by the SSA programme launched in 2001, National Curriculum Framework in 2005 and the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education in 2010. These policies were complemented by other schemes such as National Programme for the Education of Girls at the Elementary Level, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme, both ensuring inclusion and quality education for girls. The Mahila Samakhya programme was launched in 10 states targeting marginalised sections of rural women. Access to education was also facilitated by separate schools for girls, availability of open learning resources, residential schooling, coaching facilities; scholarships, textbooks, uniforms and transport including bicycles. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (known as RTE) Act, 2010, charted a new roadmap for gender equality in education in India.
DELIVERY
MECHANISM
Despite all
these efforts, surprisingly , a large number of girls still remain outside the
education system . According to Karin Hulshof, Unicef India representative, out
of 81% girls joining school at the primary level, around 50% drop out at the
secondary level because of factors such as child marriage, child labour, etc.
"We must not look at girls as a liability but as an asset. The Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education (RTE) Act are tools that can
empower the girl child. We need an effective delivery mechanism and have more
gender-friendly classrooms," she said.
R Govinda,
vice-chancellor , National University of Educational Planning and
Administration (NUEPA), feels that though there are various policies in place,
when it comes to implementation, there is a wide gap. "Through various
policies we have placed the education of the girl child in the foreground. I
feel, policywise , we are on the right track. The RTE has made education a
fundamental right. After 25 years of prioritising girls' education, we have
seen a tremendous change. But a lot more needs to be done."
He further
adds, "We can address the problem by engaging at different levels. By
getting all girls in school, by examining what happens in school by paying
attention to the socio-emotional conditions of the girl child, what the child
learns in class in terms of the quality, by providing trained female teachers
and keeping a track of what happens to girls beyond schools. That is when the
expectations of parents and the community come into effect."
NATIONAL
VISION
The United
Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and ministry for human resources development
(MHRD) drafted a 'National vision for Girls' Education in India - Roadmap to
2015' with an aim to building a comprehensive approach towards girls'
education, which was discussed at a twoday national convention in the Capital
recently.
The Vision Document provides a framework for action for girls' education in
India. The plan of action for the next one year is the Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan
which will be the cornerstone for the implementation of RTE. The government
will engage with the community , media, states, and other stakeholders to
create an environment and mechanism to ensure implementation at every level for
girls' education.
KEY
RECOMMENDATIONS
Implement
strong legislation outlawing child labour, genderbased violence, and harassment
of girls Provide residential facilities, transport and other incentives to
attract qualified female teachers to particularly rural and remote schools
Address safety issues of girls Gender-friendly classrooms and separate toilets
BARRIERS
Household/Community
Level
Direct and
indirect costs of schooling Status of women Self-esteem and self-perception
Child marriage, child labour, domestic/household work
RTE RATIONALE
A moral
responsibility on every parent/guardian to admit their children to school The
right to be admitted to a class appropriate to her age Inclusion of women in
school management committees through 50% representation
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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12057&LangID=E
INDIA
- UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION HAILS DECISION OF SUPREME
COURT UPHOLDING RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR ALL.
GENEVA
- (13 April 2012) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to
education, Kishore Singh, on Friday hailed the decision by the Indian Supreme
Court to uphold the constitutional validity of the provisions in the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The Act mandates that 25 per cent
of places in both private and public schools in the country should be reserved
for socially and economically disadvantaged groups.
The court
decision, handed down yesterday, follows petitions by some private providers of
education who complained that the law violated their autonomy. The court ruled
that the Act applies uniformly to government and unaided private schools across
the country except for unaided private minority schools.
“Exclusion
and poverty remain the most important obstacles to the realization of the right
to education in all regions of the world,” Mr. Singh said. “India’s Supreme
Court decision establishing that both public and private education institutions
should respond to the needs of those who are economically deprived is an
important step towards ensure better education opportunities for all, in line
with India’s constitutional and international obligations. This judgment should
inspire other countries.”
“Human
rights law is clear - no one should be deprived of basic education because it
is unaffordable,” Mr. Singh added.
The UN
Special Rapporteur emphasized that the adoption of strong national laws
regulating both private and public education is crucial to ensuring better
opportunities for marginalized groups and preserving education as a public
good. “With the rapid expansion of private education, strong laws are needed to
ensure that the private sector complies with national education norms and human
rights principles relating to the right to education.”
ENDS
Kishore
Singh is the Special Rapporteur on the right to education since August 2010. He
is an Indian international law expert, who has worked for many years with
UNESCO for the promotion of the right to education, and advised a number of
international, regional and national entities on right to education issues.
Throughout his career, Mr. Singh has supported the development of the right to
education in its various dimensions and worked for its better understanding as
an internationally recognized right.