Editorial | Violation of child rights

This is now a perennial problem. We have been talking about it for many years now. Once again it is needed that the problem is brought to light. This is about the violation of the rights of the children. No, we are not focussing child labour or other dangers to children. It’s about how our little children are made to carry heavy school bags on their tender back. It’s one of the grave concerns of the parents, and the concerned departments must take it seriously. The administration, apart from making a legal intervention in this, must dig into the deeper reasons of why the school bags are getting fatter by the day. Why we have these many books, notebooks, and stationary items to be daily carried to school. Is it driven by the sole motive of making profit, regardless of how it affects our education, and how it weighs down the shoulders and minds of our children. Isn’t it true that the education has been relegated to a back seat and materialist consideration have superseded everything else. The entire scheme stands turned upside down.

Every single ingredient is tailored to the needs of crass capitalism. Up till now the state government has failed to implement the recommendations of the expert committee that had called for reducing the weight of schoolbags. If it is done now, one can only wish that it doesn’t take much to turn it into practice. Though one would like to express surprise over this simple fact that such things involve common sense more than anything else. One wonders why our officials need to opt for circuitous routes when the point to be hit is not even a stone’s throw away. What does it take to thoroughly check a student’s bag and find out the unnecessary books, copies, and other material in it. What does it take to tell the school administration to create space for students to keep the extra material in the classroom itself. What does it take to ascertain which books are actually not needed, and are added just to make extra bucks. If there is a will to do it, nothing can stop the officials from doing it. It is not that difficult to lighten up the weight our children carry daily on their shoulders, if only there is a will to do.

   

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