Uncertainty over education of kids

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or, in short, Right toEducation (RTE) Act, passed by the Parliament in 2009, advocates free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 - 14 years. The law is applicable to all, irrespective of their social status, including those who are taken care of at orphanages and care homes. But all is not well at many care homes here, say voluntary social service organisations.While most of the inmates of orphanages get proper education, those children who are sent by courts to care homes or orphanages after being involved in litigations suffer as their education is affected, according to a young city-based businessman who has set aside a good share of his time for philanthropic activities. ‘’Either the child is not able to resume education or faces a delay in starting learning at the right age since confusion prevails over the responsibility, until the court is through with the case,’’ he said.He added that around a year ago, the NGO, which he heads, had to engage in a legal battle after it found that as many as four children, about the age of six and sheltered at a care home in the city, could not begin learning owing to the same reason. However, most care home authorities would not admit to this fact.Meanwhile, Philomina Cedrie, a member of the Juvenile Justice Board, Thiruvananthapuram,  said that the Board takes special efforts to ensure that the education of children was not affected, regardless of the nature of the case in which they are involved. ‘’The Board is concerned over the proper education of not just the kids caught in litigations, but even those who are slapped with charges of juvenile crimes. The children at the care home of the Juvenile Justice Board are also allowed to pursue education along with other normal children in the school; the only condition being that there would be security personnel who would assist these children to the school and back,’’ she says.