You may soon have to stop taking children for granted. For the Sarva Shikshana Abhiyaana (SSA), Karnataka has decided to set up child rights clubs in all government primary schools across the state to make the little ones aware of what they are entitled to in the society.
In a circular issued to all the deputy directors of public instruction (DDPIs) through the department of public instruction, the SSA has asked the officials to act in co-ordination with all government primary school head-masters and ensure that every institution sets up a child rights club in this academic year.
The decision has been taken not only to make children aware of their rights, but also to help them exercise the same. The SSA also hopes that the clubs would ensure that the children would wrest their rights if they are deprived of the same and inculcate leadership qualities in them.
The circular has said that every class, beginning from Standard IV, must be represented by two of its students in the child rights club.
“In case of co-education schools, both girls and boys must be involved. The class teacher must select a boy and girl from among the students The term of the representatives will be two years,” MS Patil, joint director (administration), director (in charge), programmes, SSA, said.
The department is categorical that the teachers can’t dump the responsibility of running the club on the children. A teacher must be deployed to co-ordinate with members.
Besides raising their voices over child-centric developments within the schools, the clubs can also focus on larger issues like child marriages, devadasi practices and child labour. If any club comes to know of such abuses, they can report to the co-ordinator, who will then take it up with the appropriate authorities.
“At the end of every academic year, the schools will have to prepare a report about the activities of their respective clubs. If the clubs think they have done something exemplary, they can highlight it,” Patil said.
Manifesto of the child rights club
The SSA circular has said the teachers must first train club members on child rights issues.
They must also brief their wards on how they should protest and wrest their rights.
Every school must keep aside a complaint box and a question box. It will be the head-master’s duty to open these boxes once a fortnight before the club members and look into the complaints and answer them.
The clubs must identify dropouts, send members and co-ordinators to their houses and convince the parents into sending the kids back to school.
They also have to identify the most popular teacher in their respective schools and ask the authorities to felicitate them.
The teacher/co-ordinator will have to assist the members in preparing propaganda material on rights issues.
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