Kids under six: HC seeks schooling info from state

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: The 86th amendment to the Constitution of India makes education for children between the ages 6 and 14 free and compulsory. But what happens to children younger than six, and why is the government not taking responsibility for pre-primary education?

That’s what a petition filed in the HC seeks to address. The petition was filed recently by Simantini Dhuru, director of Avehi Abacus, an NGO, along with educationist Arvind Vaidya and human rights activist Shakil Ahmad. At a hearing on Thursday, the court issued a notice to the government asking for a reply to the petition.

“We would like the Constitution re-amended to ensure that the government takes responsibility for children younger than six. While the government does run balwadis for pre-school children, when compared with the population, there are far too few of them. Even those that are there, do not have trained teachers as recommended by the NCERT,’’ said Dhuru.

According to Dhuru, the 86th constitutional amendment, instead of increasing the purview of the government when it comes to education, actually decreases it.

“While affluent parents can afford to send their children to expensive pre-schools, those who are poor start their education in Std I at BMC schools at the age of six. But their growth potential before that age is not tapped. Many are from families where parents are not literate and cannot provide the necessary stimulation to the child’s mind. The government should be duty-bound to take care of pre-primary education,’’ said Ahmad.