Education is a magic wand, PM's message to children

Updated on: Saturday, November 12, 2011

"Education gave me a new life.... It is a magic wand that can help us meet any challenge."

This was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's message to students as Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal rang the school bell in this nondescript town in rustic Mewat region, marking the launch of the year-long 'Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan' campaign to create awareness about the Right To Education (RTE).

The Prime Minister's message was read out to children in this and other nearly 13 lakh schools across the country on the occasion of the 'National Education Day' in which he recollected his days as a student in his village school at Gah Begal in Chakwal district of Punjab province now in Pakistan which had no electricity and pukka roads.

"Education gave me a new life. I went to school in a village that had no electricity. I studied under an earthen oil lamp. I would walk miles to reach my school. I worked as hard as I could and the nation has always rewarded me for my efforts," Singh said.

The Prime Minister appealed to the students to study hard for achieving success in life in his message that was read.

Singh touched upon the life of prominent people like the country's first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who by their hard work became distinguished personalities in public life.

The RTE Act came into force last year and so far 20 states have notified the rules.

"After one year, we will review how this programme has had an impact on spreading RTE," Sibal said.

Ruing that big states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal have not notified the law as yet, Sibal had earlier said it will be a "historic failure" if the Act is not implemented across the country.

Delhi too has not notified the Act so far.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar was the chief guest at the function here.

The country-wide campaign aims at creating awareness among people about Right to Education and their entitlement to free and compulsory education.

The HRD ministry hopes that a sustained campaign will change and create an interest at the community level to ensure that RTE delivers its objective.

Ministry officials said though it has been more than a year that the RTE has come into being, there is little awareness of the law and its provisions.

The law gives governments a three-year window to ensure that infrastructure and other such provisions to meet the requirements of the law.

The Prime Minister's message in Hindi was read by Minsiter of State D Purandeshwari.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said all children should be enrolled in schools and no child should work as labourer.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda highlighted the steps taken by his government to bring a qualitative change in the state's education system.

He said there are 23 universities in the state as against seven in 2004-05. The government is providing scholarships ranging from Rs 75 to Rs 400 per month to 16.70 lakh students belonging to backward sections.

To promote Urdu in the state, 550 Urdu teachers would soon be recruited.

Local boy Salman Ali, who gained instant fame in the area with his participation at a singing reality game show hosted by a channel, drew admiration from the crowd present at the programme, with the Chief Minister announcing Rs 21 lakh as reward for him.

School students, who staged a play highlighting the benefits of Right To Education were warmly cheered by the crowd.

Education is a magic wand, PM's message to children

More Education news