Activists campaign for universal education

Updated on: Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Activists campaigning for universal education on Monday called for a common school system that would offer education free of cost for all children in the country and help stop the commercialization of education.

All India Forum for Right To Education presidium member Anil Sadgopal, briefing reporters about an all India conference to be held in the city on June 30 and July 1, said, "There is widespread misbelief among policymakers , the judiciary and educationists that the common school system can be improved through private participation."

"This has led the government to promote the RTE Act and exonerate the commercialization and privatization of education . We want to expose this farce" he said. "As long as commercialization of education is promoted, and the government allows private schools to flourish , the common school system cannot improve."

Speakers at the press meet said they wanted to promote the idea of a common school system from nursery to Class 12 and to make this a constitutional obligation . They said the RTE Act is afront to pump public money into private schools, with the government passing on its responsibility of providing education for all to private schools by offering to pay self-financing schools for the education of 25% of the students.

Organising secretary of the All India Forum for RTE Ramesh Patnaik said the Act has been in effect for two years but many children are still not in school but are working instead. "Obviously the current model is not working," he said. "Unless commercialization is abolished children will not get equal or quality education."

Activists campaign for universal education

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