KALINDI BHATIA LAW STUDENT SHARES HER EXPERIENCE

Before I came to Delhi for this internship I was very apprehensive about the nature of work that would be assigned to me. As a student of law, I wasn’t sure whether or not this internship would have a legal dimension to it. I recall discussing these apprehensions with Mrs. Leena Prasad during my orientation. Safe to say, I’ve come a long way since my first week. My stay in Delhi has been eventful since the day I started interning with CRY through Mr. Ashok Agarwal. I learnt something new almost everyday in the last six weeks.

On my first day, I had the opportunity to visit two private aided hospitals, with Sir. The purpose of this visit was to ensure that the hospital provides free treatment to those who belong to the economically weaker section (EWS). I also accompanied Sir, to NCERT, where he had an interaction with trainees on the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009. This is when I learnt of the intricacies of the Act such as how many years went into drafting it, other failed attempts to educate the masses, the loopholes in the Act etc.

Before my visit to Dwarka with CRY, I met a few lovely women headed by Mrs. Poornima Saxena, Co-ordinator with Social Jurist and visited jhuggis nears Pragati Maidan and I.T.O. Here pamphlets of an education helpline were distributed and complaints of those who have been denied admission in government schools were recorded. Once these complaints came into the office, I was asked to type formal letters to the authorities concerned. While typing these letters I was further acquainted with the extent to which the Act has been implemented. On this visit I also inferred that a lot of parents/siblings/guardians are very laid back when it comes to education. While I did meet a lot of children who wanted to study, there were others who did not want to and their parents were not affected by this drastic decision. Unfortunately not many parents can share the experience of going to school with their children and others have accepted poverty as a way of life, as a consequence of which they probably don’t encourage their children.

On 22^nd May 2010, Social Jurist organised a post card campaign, where in they collected nearly 150 children in Jahangirpuri and asked them to write postcards to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. After going through nearly half the post cards myself, I realised how poor the quality of education and infrastructure is in government schools. Disparity is rampant in our society. The fact remains that the larger part of our population cannot afford private schools and if education remains in the hands of the Government, it will probably never improve. Perhaps, the Act should not be criticised of privatising education, it is the need of the hour. The postcards were oozing of innocence. It made me wonder if an MP would ever send his child to a government school where classes are carried out on the playground. Consequently, Sir asked me to type a letter to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Delhi High Court reporting these violations. Initially I wondered, these children are only a fraction of many other children in Delhi who face violations of their rights every day. Then, I thought of the larger picture and I realised that if this is the condition of children in the capital/metropolitan city, what about children in places like Chattisgarh, Bihar, and Rajasthan?

I also had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Shanta Sinha, Chairperson of National Commission on Protection of Child Rights. Their RTE Cell apart, she said she was not even going to resume her duties as the head as a consequence of the chaos which followed her reappointment. I had the opportunity to meet two interns from NCPCR on a visit to National University of Educational Planning and Administration. They complained of how absolutely nothing happens in the commission and how everyone, interns and employees while away their time in office. Blatant to say, explains the lack of acknowledgement to the complaints they receive.

As I mentioned earlier, I visited NUEPA with Sir and met Mrs. Nalini Juneja. She briefed me and the other interns about organising a workshop and going through cases which Social Jurist had filed. I also attended a meeting at the Delhi Commission on Protection of Child Rights where I met Mr. Amod Kanth, Chairperson. He informed the meeting of how the DCPCR is disposing the complaints it receives, an aspect I have covered in my report.

On the 5^th of June, I met a Special Educator, Mrs Poonam. She discussed what needs to be done with regard to education for children with special needs. She informed us of the extent to which these schools are equipped, how short staffed they are when it comes to special educators etc. I can only say that legislation on paper is not an effort enough. A lot of psychological changes need to be brought in, first, the parents should be encouraged not to see their child as a burden, and then, the teachers/students should treat him equally. I came across so many letters, where in the parents of disabled children have been rudely told off by government schools that the schools are not facilitated enough for their children.

I also happened to meet the Director of Education, South Delhi, a couple of days back and it was very depressing, to say the least, seeing parents nearly beg because their children have been deprived of admission, however this was only met with “sarkari” arrogance. In the absence of a plan of action for Delhi, it is hard to tell how the government intends to implement the Act.

At the end of this internship I can only appreciate the presence of legislation and hope that the masses are encouraged to look at education as a means to get out of poverty. Of course, once these children are in school they must complete their education and encouraged to study further. I have already shared my sentiments about Dwarka with you. This internship has been a first for me in many ways, from being my first time in Delhi to my first visit to jhuggis. Having lived a convenient life abroad, I cannot explain to you what a revelation this has been. As I mentioned in the letter that I wrote to you about our Dwarka visit, over this internship, I have met the most ordinary people who do such wonderful things everyday by fighting for child rights. I will always cherish this experience and share it with anyone and everyone I can and encourage to contribute to your wonderful cause.