Dimapur, October 2 (MExN): A workshop for civil society organisations (CSOs) on the topic ‘Right to Education Act 2009’ was organized by Child Friendly Dimapur, a UNO initiative implanted by AIDA-Don Bosco, on September 29, to underline their role in bridging the gap between community and educational institutions.
On the occasion, resource person Carne Chishi, ToT, Samagra Siksha, Urban Block, Dimapur elaborated on the topic and informed that the Act was enacted in the state on March 21, 2010 as Nagaland Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rule, 2010.
Highlighting key points under the Act, Chishi referred to the 86th Constitution Amendment Act via Article 21A and said that the Act seeks to give effect to the amendment which entitles every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years to receive free education in government schools. Private schools shall admit at least 25% of the children in their schools without any fee and the National Commission for Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of elementary education including quality, she said.
She also said that the RTE Act 2009 can promote ‘child friendly schools’ when all Institutions comply with infrastructure and teacher norms for an effective learning environment, and that the state should ensure adequate support to teachers leading to improved learning outcomes of children and ensuring school quality with equity in collaboration with SMC, community and CSOs, according to the release.
Furthermore, she explained about the disadvantages of the Act, factors that leads to dropout of children from schooling as well as some key points to be considered and the possibilities in which the community and the CSOs can intervene in bridging the gaps between the community and the institutions towards making the Right to Education Act 2009 a reality.
During the workshop, the participants were also educated on the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 4 Cardinal Rights of the Child and the strategies implemented towards realizing Dimapur and Chümoukedima as child friendly cities. The programme was attended by Child Rights Facilitators, Caring Community Groups and members of civil society organization (Can Youth Dimapur), the release stated.
