Question

critically analise the implementation issues of right to education act2009 face by your school.suggest ways for better implementation of the act?

Answer 1

PROBLEMS
1) Out-of-school children
According to the 2001 census, 8.5 crore children are out of school in India. However,
latest figures from the Human Resource Development Ministry put the number at 80 lakh.
This disparity is because the government has been trying to divide the children into two
sections.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, every year around 65,000 children
fall victim to trafficking. Only 10% of such cases are registered with the police. Officially,
therefore, only 6,500 children are trafficking victims. Besides this, around 1.20 crore children
are involved in child labour (2001 census), keeping them out of school.
One of the sections into which the government has tried to divide out-of-school
children is those who have never enrolled in school.

Some states have claimed that there has been a jump of 120% in school admissions.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt. The 2011 census will make the picture clearer.
A recent survey under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme in Rajasthan found that
12 lakh children were out of school. Of these, 7.13 lakh children were girls and the rest were
boys. Other states must carry out similar studies.
Every other day we see children working at roadside restaurants, in people’s homes,
on the roads and in tea stalls. To pick these children up and put them in school is hardly as
easy as it sounds. To begin with, rescue of child labourers and punishing the employer is the
work of the Labour Ministry and the police. The responsibility of bringing children to schools
and providing them quality education is the work of the Human Resource Development
Ministry. Then again, monitoring implementation of the RTE Act is the responsibility of the
child rights commissions in each state, which are under the Women and Child Development
Department. As of now, not all states have even notified the RTE rules. It is crucial therefore
that the efforts of all these agencies are coordinated for the larger goal of providing education
to all children to become a reality.


Ways for better implementation of the act:

1. Give incentives for schooling

In the poor families, kids are seen as helping hands, the more the better. They help in household chores and in the farm, besides earning money from labor jobs. Their contribution is quite significant for the survival of the family as a whole. Sending them to school takes this support away from the family. Hence, in order to educate them the following steps are absolute necessity:

Monetary support to parents for sending kids to school. For example, Rs 100 per month for each kid as long as they are enrolled in the school.Mid-day meal schemes. This is another wonderful idea to send kids to school and provide them nourishment too. Parents certainly love this idea, as seen from the running of Anganwadis in the state of Chhattisgarh.“Lack of interest” is responsible for major school drop-outs. HRD ministry’s 46th Round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) statistics of 2005 show that the drop out rate by class VIII is 51% mainly due to lack of interest. This disinterest is due to lack of stimulating environment and poor infrastructure in government schools at elementary levels. Additional factors, such as adverse teacher/student ratios and the perceived irrelevance of schooling also add to the high drop out rates.

2. Establish ownership and responsibility

Particularly in the rural and poor areas, people’s representatives – MPs, MLAs, Sarpanchs’ – should be made responsible for smooth functioning of the schools in their areas. Local relevant NGOs and other organizations may also be involved. They can provide support through the School Management Committees.

3. Focus on teacher training programs

The quality of teachers is the backbone of any teaching program. Untrained or unmotivated teachers can mar any program, no matter how ambitious it is. Creating a standard training program to train and generate quality teachers is crucial for the RTE Act to produce meaningful results.

4. Use computer and satellite technology to create awareness and interest

Create mobile units that pay visits to different schooling centers, particularly in remote areas and show relevant films to both the teachers and the students. This will help sustain interest and arouse curiosity. Even visiting once in a fortnight or month would serve the purpose.