Tuesday 15 October 2013

Human Rights

                                                 


What are human rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings irrespective of of religion, nationality, ethnic origin , colour and gender. The basic rights include the right to life and liberty , freedom of thought and expression and equality before the law. I would like to add that right to education too is a basic right.

                                      


Why is education necessary?

When India attained independence in 1947  , there were many children unlettered and slipping into a dark future. There is hope where education is a right of every child.

Every child born has a right to go to school ,learn the 3 R's i.e. reading , writing and arithmetic.  Education empowers a human being to a good start in life , it equips the person to earn his living and livelihood and ultimately his/her independence , boosts his confidence and prevents unscrupulous people from taking advantage. Education  holds the promise of ensuring a bright and stable future for the children.

 The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right

The RTE Act provides for the:
(i) Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school.
(ii) It clarifies that ‘compulsory education’ means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
(iii) It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.
(iv) It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.
Figures and statistics :
India is home to 19% of the world’s children. About one-third of its population  is below the age of 18, and around 74% of this population lives in rural areas. The population of people in the age-group 0-25 years is  54% of the country’s total population. Indeed, India has the world’s largest number of youngsters.
Around 1,618 languages, 544 dialects and 1,942 mother languages are spoken in India; schools impart education in 148 different mediums. Some 27,000 small and big newspapers and magazines are published in the country. All of this poses a huge challenge to India to produce educated and empowered young citizens.
India also has one-third of the world’s illiterate population -- a worrisome trend.

Inspite of implementing the RTE Act and the recognition of Education as a basic right , what ails our country to be fully literate.
Many parents are themselves illiterate and are unaware of the Government policies and Acts. The children are working in hotels ,construction sites etc and are always on the move. It becomes difficult at times impossible to keep a track of these children.
Children are not motivated enough to study and learn. The environment at their home is not conducive to learn.
In many school the posts of the teachers lie vacant. There is a time-lag in appointing and training teachers for particular areas.
Teachers are not willing to settle and teach in far-flung , remote areas.
Poverty is a cancer like disease eroding the very fabric of the society. Due to low income of the parents , children are pulled out of school to supplement the family income. An extra pair of helping hands are always welcome.
The most affected lot are the children of lower socio-economic strata of the society. Uplifting this belt of the society is the need of the hour and has to be tackled on a war footing basis. There is also an urgent need to bridge the gap between the urban and rural literacy.
I wish a day will dawn when every child of India proudly walks to school and every year walks out of school , educated, learned and knowledgeable to enroll himself to higher education. Let us all join hands together to a make this dream come true.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Human rights are necessary because every human life 
matters. Not just the life but the quality of life matters 
more.

FOR : WRITE TRIBE

15 comments:

  1. Everyone should be able to get a good education and be all they can be to accomplish their innermost dreams and goals in life. ♥

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    1. Yes Kathy every child should get the benefit of education to move ahead in life.

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  2. This was a nice post highlighting not only the importance of the Right to Education but also listing out the actual implementation on the ground which leaves a lot to be desired for.

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    1. Implementation of the policies is the key to eradicating illiteracy. But there are difficulties and some created by man, himself.Thanks Jairam for reading.

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  3. You have brought out all the points and finally pinpointed the one major hurdle in the way of educating the children is the scourge of poverty especially in the ruralplaces and slums around cities.Even if children are keen to study the schools are not closeby and they may have to walk long distances.When poverty is removed,education can happen.But it is a vicious circle that education alone can eliminate poverty.A daunting task before the country.

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    1. Poverty is one the major hurdle to progress of the country but there is a flickering hope as in modern times illiterate parents have realized that education is the passport to good life and are making all efforts to educate their children.

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  4. Kalpana,you have very thoughtfully written on the subject nearest to my heart. Even though the RTE Act has been passed with a noble intention,,its success depends only on the lower level,by the schools, who are responsible for its .implementation. Many Schools have gone to court against this Act.It is sad that it has been challenged by some.

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    1. The Govt has implemented the RTE Act but there are certain vested interests who prefer the society to be illiterate and uneducated. The dropout rate among primary school children too is very high. In far-flung areas the schools are mere go-downs and even the existence of a blackboard is a dream. Yesterday I read in the newspaper that a remote school in Gujarat has the good fortune of getting computers but there is not electricity and drinking water available. This is the sorry state of affairs of our country. Thanks Ushaji for reading my post.

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  5. Very well laid out Kalpana ji! Lack of Education is the root cause of most of the evils prevailing in our society. With just one-third of the population educated, India has come such a long way. Imagine where we can reach if each and every individual gets the rightful quality education.

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  6. A very well-written post on a critical subject.
    Eradication of illiteracy is extremely important. Unfortunately, for a variety of valid and invalid reasons, this is not happening.

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  7. Rights are made by man thus, we all have a right over it!
    Well said, kalpana

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  8. Education has a vital role in empowering, safeguarding children from exploitative and hazardous labour and promoting human rights too. Hope every parent/ child realizes this power and gets education!

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  9. Completely agree Kalpana :) RTE is certainly one of our most important right

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  10. Education is one tool that has the capacity to uplift a child. It is the right of every child, rich or poor, to be educated. A well written post straight from the heart.
    Vishal
    www.vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com

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  11. Amen to your writing. I too believe that lack of education is the reason behind many people's state. How I wish this can be cured and help make our country more developed and aware nation.

    Richa

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