SFI condemns Centre's stand on Right to Education Bill

Kannur, Kerala, Aug 27 (UNI) The Students Federation of India (SFI) today strongly condemned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's recent move to ''subvert'' the constitutional right to education by not enacting a central legislation on the subject.

Talking to reporters here, SFI All India General Secretary K K Ragesh said even though the 86th Constitution Amendment, which made free and compulsory education a fundamental right for all children in the age group 6-14 years was passed in 2002, the Centre had failed to enact the legislation in order to make it mandatory.

The UPA Government, in its Common Minimum Programme (CMP), had promised everyone access to quality basic education, he said, adding it had also promised ''to raise public spending for education to atleast six per cent of GDP with at least half this amount being spent on primary and secondary sector.'' However, even after two years in power, the UPA Government had failed to implement the crucial commitment made in the NCMP, he said.

The SFI termed the decision of the UPA government not to enact the Central legislation on Right to Education citing the Finance Ministry's opposition and lack of resources by the Planning Commission as ''as a brazen violation of the NCMP.'' The SFI also appealed to all the state governments to reject the model Right to education Bill, which had been formulated and sent to the State Governments by the HRD Ministry for enacting legislation at the State level, terming it an ''arbitrary and undemocratic move.'' The draft of the Right to Education Bill-2005 itself had invited severe criticisms from many quarters, for the dilution of several provisions, Mr Ragesh said and alleged that the model Right to Education Bill 2006, now being proposed by the Centre, had further diluted many of the crucial provisions made in the 2005 Draft Bill.

Registering strong protest against this anti-student and anti-poor move by the UPA Government, the SFI called upon its units across the Country to organise protests.

UNI AK/CGV VD HT1512