Mujhe Padhna Hai

Right to Education is Every Child’s Right

“Chhotu!” somebody called out. I was at a small road side tea shop. A small boy answered to the call. He couldn’t have been more than ten years of age. At first glance it becomes quite clear that his petite form made great justice to his appointed title. Running along with three glasses of tea in his tattered shirt, which had half sleeves yet almost covered the whole of his hand, and his small brown shorts, which were brown because it was their original colour or because of a thick layer of dust, nobody could tell. He was extremely thin, had thick matted hair and bare feet. But there was innocence in his smile and a twinkle in his eyes. I found this most interesting. “What could be the reason behind that twinkle”, I wondered. When he came to me with my chai I asked him his name.  It was Rajan. I gave him a ten rupees tip and saw his face light up.

Rajan lives with his mother and younger sister in a makeshift hut of sorts. His father died two years ago. He was a daily labourer. Until his death Rajan used to attend school. He told me that he loved maths and when I asked a few simple questions I found that he really did have a knack for it. He had to leave school when his father died. Since then he has been working at the tea shop earning ₹ 100 every day. When I asked if he was ever mistreated by the owner, he was very emphatic to tell that the owner was most generous to him. He never cut his pay, always treated him nicely and was a big reason for his survival.

Rajan’s story is just one out of countless all over the country. There are thousands of ‘chhotus’ in every city.  At an age where play and studies should make up the itinerary of a child’s day, these poor souls have to work for meagre wages?  The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE) was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2009. It declares education as a Fundamental Right and states that every child between the age of 6 and 14 has a right to free education in a neighbourhood school. It requires all private schools (except minority institutions) to reserve 25% of seats for the poor and other categories of children (to be reimbursed by the state as part of the public-private partnership plan). Also the Constitution of India, under the Child Labour Act of 1986 prohibits child labour for children below 14 years of age. Both of these laws couldn’t help children like Rajan.

The ground reality is that a lot of work is yet to be done in this regard. Even though the Central Government is the largest provider of primary education in the country (80% primary schools in the country are state owned), it cannot be denied that the Government is not the largest provider of ‘quality’ education. The schools lack basic infrastructural facilities, they are short of teachers and many schools in fact operate in a single room, much less a single building. Also a survey by the HRD ministry in 2014 revealed that 36 out of every 100 hundred students in these schools drop out within two years of joining. Many don’t even know that they have the right to free education. Many on the other hand can’t go to school even if they want to. When I told Rajan that he can get admitted in a nearby school for free, he asked who will then earn for his family. I had no answer. The solution to these problems is not simple.

As far as child labour is concerned, nobody can say that that Act is anything other than a statement on a paper. This is a serious problem. Children who work don’t get the necessary education. They don’t get the chance to develop mentally, emotionally, physically and psychologically. They tire out quickly then adults. As a result their health deteriorates and they become vulnerable to diseases. They remain illiterate for all their lives. Hence, they are unable to give back anything to society. This is a big problem for the economic welfare of a country which requires a large and well educated work force. But if it was strictly implemented, what would happen to Rajan and countless others. He says his mother does work as a domestic help, but doesn’t earn enough to keep their family running. If he were forced to stop work, they would have barely anything to eat every day. This leads one to believe that perhaps things should be left as they are, for it is for the best.

I still wonder where the twinkle behind Rajan’s eyes comes from. The only possible explanation I could gather was that he was only a child and that twinkle would gradually disappear as he grows up. Even though his situation is quite complicated, it still doesn’t mean that he should spend his childhood days under hard labour. He should be running around in fields with friends, going to school every morning and doing his homework every night. The twinkle in his eyes should be justified. Many many such ‘chhotus’ can be helped if they were only made aware of their rights and supported a little along the way to claim them.