Northeast Welcomes Right to Education Policy

By Peter Alex Todd

Guwahati, Apr 27 : The Union Government's decision to make education a basic right for each child has been widely welcomed by people in the northeast.

Padumai Paishya (60) of Assam's Jugashree Nagar village who has three children said she was happy that her grandchildren would be able to go to school, thanks to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

"We are happy about the implementation of the New Act (Right To Education). We are poor people, how can we afford education for our children? There are financial constraints. Somehow, we manage to buy rice. How can we even think about education? So I am very happy about it," Paishya said. n India, about crore children under the age group of 6-14 do not go to school.

The Centre and States will to share the fiscal load in the ratio of 55:45 and the Finance Commission has provided Rs. 25,000 crore to the States.
For the Year 2010-11, the Centre has given an outlay of Rs. 15,000 crore.

The people in rural and tribal areas will get the maximum benefit.

"Due to poverty we could not study or send children to schools earlier, but now they go to schools and get free meals there.

However, for sometime the quality of the food has not been good or it has not been available," said Dipan Saha, a parent, Tripura "Still what the government has decided is a great help for poor parents like us as under the Act our children are getting free education, text books and food," he added.

"We are poor people but we have been encouraged to send our children to school as the centre has made many things free for student's education," said Pratima Biswas, a Parent, Tripura.

In the northeast, the average literacy rate is between 60-70 per cent and, with the introduction of the Act, this will go up, especially in the rural areas.

"This is a very bright new chapter. Definitely, we are very much hopeful. Children of every family will get free education. We are happy with this. It's like an eye opener to the country to improve the quality of education," said Asa Khate, a teacher, Nagaland.

Militancy has badly affected development and education in the northeast region in the past and with gradual decline, the thrust is on development of the region and providing employment to the youth, besides educating them.