Delegates at the workshop in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, June 23: Residential schools are necessary for rescued child labourers so that a vigil can be maintained and they can be stopped from dropping out of the school later.

Bihar State Child Labour Commission chairman Ramdeo Prasad made this demand today at the state-level workshop on “Right to Education Act 2009 set of rules and reality”, organised by non-government organisation (NGO) Nidan.

Prasad said: “There is an urgent need to establish residential schools for child labourers so that a vigil can be maintained. Today, when these rescued child labourers are enrolled in the schools running under the rehabilitation centres, the neighbourhood children also join them. The number of such children is 10 times more than the rescued child labourers.”

He also advocated for a stipend for the rescued child labourers. “Residential schools should be opened in flood-prone areas and the children should be given a stipend of somewhere between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. It should be deposited in the joint accounts of the rescued child and his/her parents, so that both parties can share the benefits. Not only would it help in ensuring a good future for the child, it would also assure the parents that their child is earning. If this is not assured, different government schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan will go in vain,” Prasad said, adding that the children should be imparted technical, as well as general, education for their overall development.

Prasad also showed his displeasure that the commission can act on only those matters forwarded by the upcoming state advisory council, as pointed out by a member of a Begusarai NGO, Bihar Gramin Jagrukta Abhiyan Samiti, Kaushalendra Kumar.

Kumar also pointed out anomalies in the Right to Education Act, 2009, and said: “Under the RTE provisions, a primary school should be in a 3-km-radius of the beneficiaries’ house. Would it not burden children of classes IV to V to travel the distance with a bag full of books on his back? Another provision mentions that teachers of primary schools would be trained within five years of their recruitment. Where is the quality education mentioned in the state provisions if the students are taught by untrained teachers?”