Journalism of Courage
City-based education activists have demanded a public review of the academic system that is to be put in place after the state starts implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act fully. Experts have also suggested that benchmarks be set as to what exactly a student will learn after completing Class VIII.
The demands came up at a consultation on the RTE Act arranged by Peoples Forum on Thursday,which was also attended by Minister fo State for Education Faujia Khan. Around 35 representatives of various organisations working in the education sector participated. Khan assured the education activists that she would take cognisance of the demands and try to incorporate them into the model rules draft that is yet to be finalised.
Suryakant Kulkarni,member of state child rights protection commission,who initiated the meeting,said though the RTE Act assures free and compulsory education up to Class VIII,there is no clarity on what exactly a child will learn in these eight years.
The present situation in the state is pathetic since many students who have reached up to Class X cannot read or write properly. They even cannot solve basic mathematical equations. In such scenario,there should be accountability on teachers and they should ensure that children learn basic things as they reach Class VIII, said Kulkarni.
Chittaranjan Paul of Action for the Rights of Children (ARC) network said there should be an arrangement for a public review of the academic system that will bring such lacunae to the fore. Presently,the internal review systems are in place,but that can be managed. A larger public review is necessary that will provide a neutral feedback, he said. Social activist Razia Patel reiterated that peoples participation in implementation of RTE act is a necessity. There is also a need for clarity on issues such as role of block education officers in implementation of the recommendations of the RTE act, she said.
John Kurien of ARC emphasised on teachers training. The quality of education as a whole though is a responsibility of the state. The Karnataka government has paid attention to this while drafting their model rules, he said.
Inclusion of life skills training,communication skills,cooperative thinking in the regular curriculum is also crucial,he said. Queries such as arrangements in rural areas,provision for child tracking system,implementation of 25 per cent reservation in private schools,clarification on pre-school and recruitment of education officers were also raised during the session.
