Right to Education: What is Right and What is Wrong?

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows” is well said phrase by Sydney J. Harris. Its cent percent right. Knowledge is what imparted to the children firstly by their parents which is called “informal” education and it is the first step in child’s life that can make or ruin his life. It is informal because it is not provided in any school or in any classroom. It is provided in an environment that helps the child to grow and build its mentality at the very early stage of his life. The second phase of a child’s life is his/her school that provides him the environment in which he learns to cooperate, to perform well in every walk of life and what it is called is “formal” education. Thus both informal and formal education is necessary for a child for his development. But today, do all children have access to this education? What happens when children couldn’t get what he deserves? When their parents’ inability ruin their lives?
In India, nearly 14 crore children are depriving of education. Who is responsible for all this? Numerous questions and a few answers. Their parents’ inability and lack of understanding proves a bane for the entire life of their children. But above all, the government is taking a number of initiatives that helps these children. Some of the praiseworthy initiatives are Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, Sarva Shiksha Abhyan, Mid Day Meal Scheme and many more. Right of Children to free and compulsory education is providing free education to the children of age 6-14. These acts not only take care of education of children but also provide them an environment to maintain their health and nutrition level. But these acts are facing number of challenges today.
One of the challenging situations for RTE is that private schools don’t agree to make 25% reservation for minority children. They don’t agree to impart free education to minority children. Recently in Karnataka, two such children expelled out from a private school only because they are minors. But is it right? Why the private institutions are behaving like this even after knowing that the education is a right of every child? The main reason could be the discrimination in such institutions. Children of belonging to rich families study in these institutions. They may feel less comfort by studying with these children. It may result in fall of “business” of private school. But what should be done to combat these problems? In fact the students should be well trained and should provide education on the lessons of indiscrimination. They should learn to educate in a cooperative environment.
The government didn’t have proper number of teachers to teach children. Less pupil-teacher ratio may result in improper and unhealthy education. The less pupil-teacher ratio is the result of desire of teachers to earn more and more money. The teachers are providing private tuitions to the students. The primary reason why teachers underperform in the classes is the want of additional income. Banning teachers from doing this won’t do away with the problems. Under the strict norms of RTE full fledge educationists should be appointed. The local authorities should be appointed in each district to verify these cases.
Other implication of RTE is that the unrecognised schools should be shut down after 3 years of RTE came into force. Do really these unrecognised schools should be shut down? Today most of the unrecognised schools are solving outreach problems of the school going children. In large slums these unrecognised schools are imparting education to the children. These unrecognised
schools are not the alternatives to the recognised schools. In fact these are the alternatives for education not at all! Do still the unrecognised schools should be disposed off?
One implication of the RTE is that no children shall be failed or expelled from the school till he/ she completes his/her elementary education. Now the questions arise here that is it advantageous for children? Should the students be promoted in the higher standard before he or she does not attain the level what is required for the next class? The intention of this rule is no doubt to support the students who are not able to attain the level of the performance required to gain admission in the next class. But what about the skill development of such children? Failure, no doubt may cause the child to intensely doubt his/her abilities. But remaining in the same class after failure may help the children to develop their skills. If he/she is promoted to the next class, it may ruin his entire life and he would have no chance to build his/her skills again. The government also suggests that the board exams should not be taken during the period of elementary education. The government thinks that the board exams put unnecessary pressure on the students at a young age. But exam pressure is a part of life. The system should face such pressures instead of doing away with them. The reason why the board exams should be taken is that it will also help the government to evaluate the performance of students as well as teachers and to evaluate the RTE that how successful it is going in the country. The students will, in fact, learn to perform well in such “pressures”.
So, in accordance with the measures discussed above, the government should take initiative to make the Right of children to free and compulsory education much more effective.

 Failing should be allowed in the schools because it would help the students to develop their skills. It acts as a critical feedback for both teachers and students. Poor feedback means lack of knowledge about their inabilities and it will smash the whole system. This will also ensure the lesser burden on students in their higher classes.

1.  Unrecognised schools should not be disposed off. These schools are the alternatives for education not at all! Instead of education in a recognised school. The unrecognised schools are imparting education to those children who are living in a very critical situation in the slums or the students who are living in remote areas. One initiative that the government should take is that it has to recognise all these schools which are performing better instead of being aided by government.
2. Proper sanitation facilities should be provided in the schools along with education especially for girls.
3. Teacher-pupil ratio should be improved. The government should appoint well educated teachers. Proper verification should be done from time to time. Teachers should be banned from opening their private tuitions. Proper training should be given to the teachers at the very early stage of their teaching.
4. Board exams should be taken. It helps the government to evaluate the performance of the teachers as well as students. School tests etc. also help to evaluate the performance of the students but board exams pressurise the students as well as teachers to perform well.
5.  Government should introduce some incentives to help poor students to continue their study after 14 years of age.

These are some of the steps that government should take to ensure an effective RTE.

PRAFULL KUMAR

Assam Violence

In India it is well said, “AHINSA PARMA DHARMA”, but is this really so? Nowadays all is happening contrary to it. The violence eruption is the result of ethnic, political, communal or sometimes economic conflicts. India got independence on August 15, 1947 after dividing geographically and demographically into two parts- India and Pakistan. Some people acceded to India while some to Pakistan. Even today, after 65 years of independence, the violence continuously ruining the life of innocent people. Perhaps, it is not a cup of tea of both the nations to resolve these conflicts. These kind of conflicts are blot on the face of one’s country. As I think, the major reason behind these conflicts is “Religion”. Religion is the power that binds the people of particular community and encouraged the people to remain together. But what happens when this religion becomes the cause of conflicts?

Today, we are living in a secular country. But does secularism really prevail in our country? Even today, some of the castes are considered to be not fit to touch with a barge pole even after Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was considered “untouchable” proved himself as a legend.

Indo-Bangladesh conflict is a conflict in which two communities Bodos and Muslims conflicted with each other for their livelihood and somewhat due to demographics. Although this conflict is for the improper partitioning of land but the conflict of religion also prevail there. In Indo-Pakistan, 1971 war, after the creation of Bangladesh, the government of India (GOI) provides grasslands to the Muslim “illegal” immigrants to support them and send all the victims of East Pakistan or East Bengal to the relief camps. But based on what evidence the GOI provide them all these lands and make the local community deprive of their lands? Why the then district administrators allow Muslim immigrants to illegally grab their lands? There is no major evidence found regarding this. The Muslim illegal immigrants in collusion with the local authorities grabbed the lands. This engendered the major conflicts between Bodos and Muslim immigrants which India even today has to face. Not only Indian government, the Bangladesh Government is equally responsible for conflicts. The Bangladesh government now denies the existence of illegal migrants in India and describes them as “trafficked”. 

Nearly 3-4 million such people are living in India. But the question is that are all they “trafficked”? Bangladesh govt. is escaping from providing these people their revenue. During the formation of Bangladesh, if the East Bengalis belong to Pakistan, then why Pakistan govt. refused to provide them appropriate revenue? Now they are seeking help from India. It is not the matter of conflict between India and Bangladesh. It is a matter of conflict between East Pakistan and West Pakistan. India has no role to play in all these issues. But the fingers are also pointing towards Indian Government. If the government provided them land at that time then why didn’t the GOI make provisions for deporting them to their countries? Now the result of these conflicts is that total 11 out of 27 districts in Assam are

under the Muslim community which is illegal as considered by local communities. Why didn’t the government take necessary steps to resolve these conflicts at the time of their beginning ? Is this only because of the poor administration or any other reasons behind these questions prevail? Plethora of Questions,but nobody has answers.

Now, the necessary steps should be taken by government for Muslim illegal immigrants and Bodos so that these conflicts may not recur from time to time and place to place. Necessary negotiations should take place between Government of India and People’s Republic of Bangladesh. If the Government of Bangladesh still does not insist to accept their people back then only for the sake of humanity, Government of India should make different states and the land issues can be solved by providing necessary compensation to the victims. Nearly 4, 00,000 people got displaced during these conflicts and nearly 77 people were killed. The government is now providing shelters to these people under various schemes like Prime Minister National relief fund and Indra Awaas Yojana. One major culprit in this case is also the election commission of India. Why do the election commission not resolve the issue of default voters which are nearly 1.5 million? The problems of the doubtful voters should be tackled while preparing electoral polls of Assam. The armies should be deployed on time in case such conflicts occur. Even today, the Indo-Bangladesh borders are not properly guarded. So these borders should have proper boundaries and engineering techniques should be used to properly safeguard the borders as was done by Israel in the past. The need of the hour is that the government should take necessary steps to make deportation of the illegal migrants instead of becoming a “lame duck” as it was doing till now. If the government won’t resolve these conflicts then these will recur from time to time and place to place.

Prafull Kumar
B.Tech. (3rd year)