A DIALOGUE ON
THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION
Dear friends -
I am just back from the NCRI
Nai Taleem conference in New Delhi.
The Right to Education (RTE)
Act was discussed to some extent. Lots of confusion surrounds it. It
seems a good place to explore deeper and clarify.
At the meeting, I proposed that a 'nai taleem clause' be added to the RTE which will encourage educational innovation and diversity, and encompass nai taleem schools, alternative schools, homeschools, unschoolers, and other forms of self-designed learning.
I am proposing that we put
together a little booklet from the Learning Societies network on RTE
to share around the country to try to open up the conceptual debate a
little more.
For example, a common
question that we hear is, "What's wrong with the RTE Act? On the
surface, it sounds like a great idea." I wrote a piece responding
to this question in Teacher Plus magazine, and we've also received
contributions from others (See below).
We invite your reflections,
questions and experiences. Please send your contribution to me so we
can put it on-line here: manish@swaraj.org
Best wishes,
Manish Jain
Manish Jain: "De-Institutionalizing Macauley and Reclaiming the Wider Meaning of
Education"
http://www.teacherplus.org/debate/de-institutionalizing-macaulay-reclaiming-the-wider-meaning-of-education
Dola Dasgupta: "Freedom of Expression
Is the Sole Purpose of Education"
Gurveen Kaur: "The Devil's
Intention?"
Chitta
Behera: "A Dismal Report Card" (originally printed in Infochange
News & Features, June 2011)
Anil Sadgopal: "Neoliberal Act"
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2814/stories/20110715281400400.htm
RS Krishna: "Globalization, caste and its cognitive-social impact"
http://www.historicalmind.com/2011/07/globalization-caste-and-its-cognitive.html
Alternative and Innovate Schools:
"Notes on RTE" (PDF)
Shreya Sahai and Others vs. the Union
of India on the Right to Education Act: background note and public
interest litigation (PDF)
The
Right to Education Act and Other Official Documents:
http://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/the-right-to-education-bill-2008-199/
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