Few takers for Right to Education Act

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has much ground to cover to adequately implement the Right to Education Act, said chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shantha Sinha, on the second day of a public hearing organised by the panel.

Top officers, including DGP Letika Saran and ADGP K Radhakrishnan, met the members of the commission on Monday.

Shantha pointed out that the State neither has its own commission for protection of child rights nor a school management committee.

She regretted that even as the two-day hearing was on, there were high incidences of violence and abuse in schools. She stressed that cases of sexual assault should be dealt with care and the education department must ensure that no abused child should go through the agony of repeated enquiries. Besides, Shantha added, inspecting officials should not expect any evidence in cases of sexual assault. Underprivileged students should be given additional care, she urged. If a student failed in examinations, it should be viewed as a failure of the school.

Kiran Bhatty, coordinator, RTE, said the commission would work upon a set of guidelines for handling corporal punishment, child sexual abuse and other issues of child rights in the next two-and-a-half months.