Given that the Right to Education Bill has been passed by the two Houses of Parliament and is now only awaiting the Presidential signature, we write to Minister of Education with some voices that have remained unheard because they do not have the opportunity to reach the Minister.

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Open Letter to Mr. Kapil Sibal,
Minister of Human Resources Development
Government of India                         
 
15th August 2009
 
Dear Mr. Sibal, 
 
Congratulations on occasion of India’s 62nd Independence Day! Since this Independence Day marks a remarkable step in the direction of education for all, we bring to you some direct questions on behalf of Shyam, a boy growing up in one of the country’s most typical impoverished villages.
 
Shyam is 14 years of age. He lives in a remote village called Bhoipali in Bolangir district, Orissa. Shyam’s parents eke out a living through the government’s NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme. Not to be outdone by the helplessness of his situation, Shyam and his friends from a children’s club they have formed have lobbied very persistently with local authorities to make sure his local government school works well: that the teacher comes every day, and on time, that their village has all the amenities it should have.
 
They even meet to talk about their village’s other problems, and let their local Panchayat know what the possible solutions are. They do this in as professional a manner as possible within their resources, using a participatory rural appraisal method they have learnt from village animators (see below). 
 
Despite so much hard work that has gone into building the public education system in his village, Mr. Sibal, Shyam is one of the 224291306  children who are left out of the RTE Bill: 137.4* million in the 0-6 years age group and 86.8* million in the 14-18 years age group. Which roughly means, Mr. Sibal, that about half of India’s children are not covered by the Fundamental (i.e. cardinal, basic) Right (legitimate, rightful) to Education Bill.
 
The 25% reservation clause (against which private schools are already protesting (click here for a link to a story) is to help poor children. But for someone like Shyam, growing up with his rightful dignity as a student of his free government school, does this “charity” not contradict his Constitutional Right to be being treated equally? Below, the Preamble where the people of India promise ourselves “Equality, of status and opportunity”.
 
 Besides, do you think, Mr. Sibal, that a few thousand private schools with 25% reservation can accommodate approximately 400 million “poor” children?  Because beyond the schooling till Class 8, the state will not give Shyam any support in making sure he has the minimum required to be more than the situation he was born into.
In other words, though Shyam will be literate, his non-Matric education will not guarantee him a bright future. Over the longer term, children like Shyam whose families remain part of India’s poorest, will have no choice but to grow into a cycle of poverty.
 
According to CRY’s estimates (taken from Government data) among those who have reported attending school, an overwhelming 84.2% are attending Government schools, while only 13.3% are estimated to be attending Private, recognised schools. Given this, wouldn’t you agree that the Right to Education Bill says precious little about how the Government will support its own schools, better their quality? Below, a government school in Bolangir that now sees regularly attending teachers and students, thanks to a local children’s movement. Shyam and his friends have not given up hope in the public education system, in fact they are the harbingers of hope for their village schools. A little timely resource investment is all these schools need. Not to forget that government schools far outnumber private schools. 
 
Mr. Sibal, as someone who has had the privilege of higher education – an  M.A. in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a LL.M. (Master's in Law) from Harvard Law School, USA, you understand the need for an education to enable a future. For Indians, education would enable people to use their vote judiciously and call their leaders to be accountable. So that they are not forced to beg for what is theirs by right. So that they can get fair wages for work, minimum standards of living and participate as equals in the country’s growth.
 
Like Shyam, we too believe that a time will come when every Indian child will go to a free quality school.  We believe that the Government can and should make this happen. With someone of your vision, it is possible to make sure that education be available equally to all, so that the country’s growth is uniform, not just for a select few. We write to you with this belief: that time will come and come soon. 
 
In Solidarity,
 
 
Child Rights and You 
Source of data: Census of India, 2001, Table C-13
 
CRY – Child Rights and You earlier known as Child Relief and You – is India’s leading advocate for child rights. Over 30 years CRY has partnered with NGOs, communities, government, the media and is dedicated to mobilising all sections of society to eliminate the root causes of deprivation, exclusion, exploitation and abuse. For more information please visit us at www.cry.org