Students want implementation of compulsory education law

The government of Sindh has been requested to take necessary measures to ensure education to every child and implement compulsory education law in this regard.

A delegation of children, comprised of 25 members of Children’s Councils from different government schools held a meeting with Senior Minister Education and Literacy Nisar Ahmed Khuhro under the umbrella of Foundation for Research & Human Development in the compliance of Global Action Week “Vote for Education.”

The children complained about the hardships they faced as government school students demanded to provide them schools with state-of-the-art infrastructure, take strict actions against ghost teacher, introduce practical skills in the syllabus, ensure that private schools comply by the mandatory 10 percent quota for underprivileged children and victims of terrorism, encourage schoolchildren to take part in extra-curricular activities and provide them with essential facilities including playgrounds, take measures to reduce gender disparity among schoolchildren and provide them stipend. They also demanded to improve teachers’ training process in the province.

The children demanded that child labourers, beggars and street children should also have access to basic education as per the free education act and needy boys should also be given stipends along with girls to encourage them to attend school.

Briefing about the legal status of children’s demands, Program Manager FRHD Adil Tufail said that Sindh was the first province to enact and pass legislation, The Sindh Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education Act 2013, in the light of Article 25-A of the Constitution.

According to the law, all children whose parents cannot afford to pay for education, or have become victims of terrorism, shall be enrolled for free in private schools, where they will form 10 percent of the total class. Every school will now have to constitute a management committee of government representatives, teachers and school principals to ensure that the policy is implemented. Both the school management and the parents can be fined or imprisoned if the law is not followed. Moreover, children would also be exempted from paying any extra fee or expenses that may prevent them from pursuing secondary education. He said the legislation should be enforced in province.