State Level Convention
Engaging Teachers, Teachers’ Unions and SMCs
for
Strengthening of RTE Act Implementation
Dear Colleagues,
You might be aware that with our joint efforts “The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009” has become a reality in Gujarat. The ground reality emerging from such an exercise gives a mixed picture. This gives us impression that a lot more is needed to be done.
As the nation stands at the threshold of the RTE Act’s deadline, it is unfortunate that barely 10% schools in India presently comply with all the norms and standard of the RTE Act, 2009. We presently face a shortage of teacher posts and teacher-training. These statistics are particularly disappointing considering that March 31, 2015 marks the final deadline (related to teacher regularization and training) for the implementation of the RTE Act, 2009. What is concerning is that the state continues to violate provisions of the RTE Act, recruiting contractual and untrained teachers with less pay. Similarly, the status of teacher-training and training institutes are equally poor, and there is no clear roadmap to improve the situation and quality of education.
In Gujarat no any regulation for pre-schools and lake of basic infrastructure in Anganwadi centers.
New challenges have emerged in the last one year as school closer, pertaining to school education in India. Similarly, a growing number of low-cost private schools have emerged across the city, segregating the society furthermore on the basis of people’s ability to pay. In such a scenario, it is the extremely marginalized children of the society who continue to remain deprived of their fundamental right to free and compulsory education.
It is time to strengthen our advocacy process and constructively engage with both- the government and non- government organizations- to strengthen the Right to Education in its true letter and spirit. We need to re-strategize our plan of action in the current socio- political environment, advocate with increased rigor for a better implementation of the RTE Act, the extension of RTE Act pre-primary to Secondary, initiate meaningful dialogue with all the stakeholders and bring the agenda of education in the forefront- by directly engaging the masses.
We cordially invite you to join us in the Consultation on Strengthening of RTE Act through Active participation organized by RTE Forum Gujarat and Shala Mitra Sangh
5th March, 2017
10.30am-4.30pm
Centre for Environment Education (CEE)
Thaltej tekra, Bodakdev, Ahmadabad
Shala Mitra Sangh 