2000 children, parents, teachers and activists from various regions of India joined up and formed Human Chain demanding Education as a Human Right at Jantar Mantar today. The Human Chain has also been organized in various states of India. Orissa alone witnessed participation of 5000 people in the Human Chain on the similar thematic lines at national level. 13 Indian states are also joining up the Week-long campaign. Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, President-Global Campaign for Education & Chairperson, Global March against Child Labour sounded a wake up call to the government and demanded education for all as a human right and not as charity. He called for a stop to inhuman practices such as child labour and human trafficking.
Why Global Action Week?
The thematic underpinning of the Global Action Week, observed all over the world, is to make the Governments keep their promises towards Education for All (EFA) by 2015, which are appearing difficult to achieve. This year’s theme for the Global Action Week is “Education as Human Right”. The Week is being observed in more than 100 countries. The networks of National Coalition for Education & Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Christian Children’s Fund, CARE-India, Aide et Action, All India Primary Teachers’ Federation, All India Federation of Teachers’ Organisation and host of working group members are actively organizing the activities during the Week. The activities include Big Human Chain Formations, Signature Campaigns, Officials back to School, and Children’s Assembly among others.
The focus issues during the week-long campaign are to ensure the rights and dignity of children, especially, who are/were bonded/labour, trafficked, differentially-able children, and denied of their education. The objective is to come out with deliberation of nationally collected ‘files’ to the President and Prime Minister. The Week is observed under the leadership of Global Campaign for Education (GCE), National Coalition for Education (NCE) convenes this yearly education campaign week in India.
“The world has the resources and the know how to give everyone the chance to go to school. Education for All is possible, affordable and has been repeatedly promised - but so far world leaders have failed to provide the money.”- Kailash Satyarthi, President-Global Campaign for Education & Chairperson, Global March against Child Labour.
“It is a high time that civil society in India works for a National Commission on Education as the neglect of children’s education is future neglected”.- Ravi Prakash Verma, Member of Parliament & President-NCE.
“Teachers are committed to ensure the fundamental right to quality education for every child in India and minimize the dropout rate for which the teachers need to be excluded from all other non-teaching assignments.”- Rampal Singh, President All India Primary Teachers’ Federation & Gen. Secretary NCE
“Education for all children in India is the need of the hour which at the same time is to be ensured with quality, equality and free from any kind of discrimination.”- R.S. Chaurasia, Chairperson- Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
“The policy makers of country should not play with the future of our children. The Government should increase the GDP allocation upto 6% without any delay.”- Spokesperson- AIFTO
“Aide et Action has been partnering with communities and other civil society organizations for more than 25 years to achieve EFA as it ensures a sustainable livelihood. We call upon all the people to join us in our efforts by making education a fundamental human right”. Sachin Dubey, Regional Manager Aide et Action Delhi.
“Education as a human right will go a long way in facilitating a lasting change in the well- being and social position of vulnerable groups, especially women.”- Kokila Gulati, Program Director, CARE-India
It is the call of the struggling civil societies all over the world to demand for a rights-based education governance as the year 2007 marks the half-way of targets set in Declarations like Dakar 2000 and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000 which declares to achieve “Education for All by 2015”. EFA is still a distant dream in India, the failure of Sarva Shiksha Abhyian (SSA)is a testimony to the existing crisis in Indian education. For instance;
- Despite constitutional amendment in 2002, Education is still not an enforced Fundamental Right
- The enrolment of SC students has been further declined from 20.58% to 9.02% (2005-06), (Class I-VIII) 29% children continue to drop out. (DISE, 2006)
- Still 51.8% of girl children are out of school. (DISE, 2006)
- Out of 1, 07,276 schools, 94.8% are located in rural areas have only one class room.
- In rural areas only 8.05% schools have computer facilities. (DISE, 2006)
- 40 % of the education cess never reaches HRD Ministry (CAG, 2006)
- Nearly 100 crore was diverted to schemes not permitted under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
- 47.69 lakh ineligible students got free books. (CAG, 2006)
- 48.88 Lakh was released to 2369 non- existent schools in two districts of Jharkhand. (CAG, 2006)
- Against 31100 Anganwadi centres sanctioned, only 16689 were found functional in Jharkhand. (CAG, 2006)
Activities: Global Action Week 2007
23rd April: Human Chain formations and Theatrical Presentations by Children
24-26th April: National Round Table (25th April), Officials Back to School
and Signature campaigns to continue
27th April: Working out Ten-points steps towards EFA and
Quality Education and subsequent submission of Memorandum to the President,
PM and Human Resource Minister to be represented child activists
28-29th April: Press-Releases and culmination in Delhi and states
Our Demands:
- Make Education a judiciable Fundamental Right
- Ban Child Labour and child Trafficking in any form
- Ensure a Minimum 6% GDP for education with subsequent increase
- Provide scholarships, school uniforms, textbooks and free education for all
- Proper infrastructure and service conditions for teachers
- 220 teaching days of the year to be fixed and 40:1 PTR
- No to non-teaching activities and Para-teachers
- Community monitoring system on education
- Recruit qualified teacher with female teachers’ parity
- Set up a National Commission on Education
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