Call for child rights in manifesto- 54 per cent of children in state are malnourished
The Campaign for Right to Education in Jharkhand (CREJ) asked political parties to make child rights a part of their election manifesto.
Releasing a document — Lok Sabha and Children 2009 — CREJ demanded that political parties should promise a common education system for the country. Members of the CREJ, the umbrella organisation of various NGOs working for children, also said that political parties should allot at least 15 per cent of their total annual budget outlay to the welfare of children. They also demanded that quality education up to Class X be made a legal right of every child.
"Private and government schools are two different worlds. Poor children are deprived of quality education as compared to their counterparts studying in private schools," said Kumar Sanjay, a research co-ordinator of CREJ while talking to newsmen today.
Sanjay said political parties should promise to find a suitable way to put public and private schools on one platform, thereby creating a single education system. He also said tribal languages are made a medium of instruction in schools, wherever necessary.
In the document, CREJ has also asked political parties to stop privatisation of education and formulate a common education system.
Kumar Chand Mardi, the core committee member of CREJ, said the manifesto of various political parties including the Congress, the BJP and the Left do not give enough emphasis on education, health and other rights. He said that today the state has 54 per cent malnourished children, which is a matter of concern.
Mardi also pointed out that the state continues to have a high infant mortality rate of 64 per cent. Besides, 64 lakh children in the state belong to families living below the poverty line.
The CREJ has also called upon political parties to stop the migration of tribal girls from Jharkhand to different metro cities to work as domestic help, as it leads to physical exploitation.
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