Kerala State Commission for Child Rights bats for students' rights
The commission also directed the government to inform them of the steps taken to implement their order.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Commission for Child Rights has asked the government to withdraw the order imposing income ceiling for educational concessions to the blind and the deaf. The commission in the order pointed out that it was illegal and discriminatory to put any condition including for such educational benefits for students with disabilities. The commission also directed the government to inform them of the steps taken to implement their order. The directive is significant as the Right to Education Act 2012 guarantees ‘free and compulsory education’ to all the children between six to 14 years of age.
The Act wanted the students with special needs to pursue the mainstream education and emphasised full participation by challenged students in all activities along with other students and respect for their social, civil, and educational rights. Section 26 of The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 mandates the provision of free and compulsory education to be offered to all children with disabilities up to a minimum age of 18 years. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,1989 also mandates children’s rights in respect of freedom from discrimination, sources said. The Convention against Discrimination in Education of UNESCO also prohibits discrimination, exclusion or segregation in education.
