A Roundtable Meeting with Parliamentarians and political parties, organised by the Right to Education Forum (RTE Forum), along with the Campaign against Child Labour (CACL) and Alliance for the Right to Early Childhood Development, saw participants demand a “Mahagathbandhan” among political parties on education.
Held at the Constitution Club of India, the meeting put forward the demands listed in the RTE Education Manifesto, collaboratively developed by these three networks, for their inclusion into the probable election manifestos of various political parties for the forthcoming general elections in 2019.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Madhusudan Mistry said, “It’s imperative to pay more attention towards education. For this, a firm and honest political will is required." Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ravi Prakash Verma observed, “This government is deliberately diluting the provisions of RTE Act and Child Labour (Prevention) Act, thus consciously conspiring to deprive children of Other Backward Castes (OBCs), Dalits and minorities of education."
CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP Mohammad Salim said, “We must understand that education is a political issue. This is an era where schools are not being opened by the government. On the contrary, schools are facing closure in the name of quality education!" BJD Lok Sabha MP Balbhadra Majhi added, “It’s evident from facts that educational scenario has become worst wherever it’s been handed over to private sector."
Ambarish Rai, national convener, RTE Forum, said, “In recent years, we have seen how things have gone from bad to worst for education. It’s shameful that still more than 90% schools are not compliant with RTE norms even after 8 years of the enactment of the RTE Act. ”
-- Mitra Ranjan
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