Education Department to Launch Community Mobil

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A new leaf would be turned in the implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) in the state on November 11, being observed throughout the country as National Education Day.The Education Department is all set to kick off a community mobilisation campaign, which aims to take the essence of RTE to the various stakeholders, including parents and elected representatives.The idea is to tell the stakeholders that though it is the state which has the onus of implementing the RTE, they cannot wash their hands off the responsibility. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which is the RTE implementing agency in the state, has given shape to the community mobilisation and training programme.“The campaign is meant to tell the parents and elected representatives that the child is entitled to many rights.Along with the state, it is also their duty to sent the child to school or to provide the necessary help for it, said K M Ramanandan, SSA State Project Director.According to him, the Parent-Teacher Associations in all schools in the state will be first given a training, wherein they will get enlightened on various aspects of the RTE. The same with the local body representatives too. The entitlement of the child - free uniform, free textbooks, trained teachers, quality education, child-friendly ambience, teaching-learning aids, hygienic surroundings and so on - will be highlighted and the role of stakeholders will be emphasised.Through the PTA in the schools, the parents of students till Standard VIII, will be called in for an orientation on the topic.The Block Resource Centres, SSA functionaries and the Education Department officials will see to it whether the module and campaign drips down to the lowest level and reaches all the local bodies.The State-Level Resource Group has drawn out the module for the training, which will be transferred to the block and panchayat-levels.It was in a meeting held two weeks ago in New Delhi that the Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) announced the idea to observe National Education Day to popularise the concept of RTE.According to the education officials, the state has already crossed the first steps with students enjoying free uniform, meals and textbooks.  However, the setting up of infrastructure facilities has a long way to go.