Every child has the right to get education. That’s what educationalists say, that’s what Right To Education (RTE) says. But how will every child get education? Rather, how will education reach to every child? Who will connect children with schools? Their parents? Ideally, yes! But how practical is that? How many parents are aware of RTE? How many parents are aware of even importance of education itself? What happens to children who do not reach schools? What happens to children whose parents do not know where school is?
So many questions! Who has the answers?
We! Yes, we, as citizens of this democratic nation, as responsible part of this cultured society, as a common man (and woman), have answers to these questions. Only if we want to explore and act upon them!
What can we do?
We, as concerned and responsible citizens, can become a part of this campaign to take every child to school. Every child counts. Every child of six years age, eligible to get admitted in a government school. Every child across Pune city, living in slums, societies, footpaths, orphanages, houses, and bungalows. Every child whose parents are educated or not, willing or not, living or dead. Every child who is included in the census or not. Every child counts!
Does that look too ambitious to work?
Yes, it is an ambitious plan! But it can work. If we all join hands, if we all decide upon one common goal - to take every eligible child to school.
There are (have to be) enough number of government schools in Pune to admit all children in the city. What we have to do is, identify every child that needs to be in school by June-2012 and see to it that the child is admitted in neighbourhood school. The admission procedure is simple, but the volume is too high to be handled by a small group or organisation. That’s why this has to be a Citizen’s Movement. Any citizen can join, contribute, and lead this campaign to success. We need teachers, educators, managers, software professionals, counsellors, students, legal experts, activists, media persons, or anybody who realises and believes that Every Child Counts!
Come, let us join hands and work towards an educated, brighter future of ours!
To contribute to the cause,
please write to everychildcounts.pune@gmail.com or
call Rajani Paranjpe at 9371007844 or
call Mandar Shinde at 9822401246.
For more details,
visit http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.com or
join us at http://on.fb.me/eccpune or
follow us on http://twitter.com/eccpune
