Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 

DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

LOK SABHA 

UNSTARRED QUESTION No.4757 

ANSWERED ON 23.03.2020

Education to Destitute Children

SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the provisions for providing education to destitute children;

(b) whether the Government has reviewed the said provisions;

(c) if so, the time period of the said review along with the outcomes thereof; and

(d) the reaction of the Government thereon?

[post_ads]

ANSWER

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 

(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ‘NISHANK’)

(a) to (d)  The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, is applicable to all States and Union Territories (UTs) and mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age of 6 to 14 years in a neighborhood school. For facilitating the education of children at the elementary level, the Government through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha has been encouraging and assisting the States in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education as mandated under RTE Act, 2009. Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of schools being under the jurisdiction of the State Governments, it is for the respective State Government to take appropriate action in this regard in respect of their schools.

[post_ads_2]

Further, The Ministry of Women and Child Development has informed that Section 2(14) (vi) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act), defines children in need of care and protection (CNCP) as ones who does not have parents and no one is willing to take care of, or whose parents have abandoned or surrendered him. The primary responsibility of execution of the Act lies with the State/ Union Territories (UTs). However, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally sponsored Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme (erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme) for supporting the CNCP including destitute children. Under the CPS scheme institutional care is provided through Child Care Institutions (CCIs), as a rehabilitative measure. Under the scheme, Sponsorship support (financial support for education, etc.) is provided to CNCP to ensure that their education can continue in an undisturbed manner. The programmes and activities in Children Homes, inter-alia, include age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. Apart from this, the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), an autonomous body under Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), has introduced scholarship, under the scheme “Unnati”, through the National Children’s Fund (NCF), children residing in a CCIs, including destitute, studying in class 9-12 with a promising performance can get this scholarship. The primary responsibility of implementation of the Scheme lies with the State/UTs.

Source : Lok Sabha