RIGHT TO CHILDHOOD BIGGEST
RIGHT OF CHILD : DR. JOSHI
The right to a carefree, relaxed childhood without
the burden of any responsibility and stress is the biggest right
of every child. Excessive pressure to perform and the burden of
parents’ expectations, especially in the context of securing high
marks, must not be imposed upon children. The personality of children
must be allowed to blossom in such a way that their genuine aptitude
and potential come to the fore. This was stated by Dr. Murli Manohar
Joshi, Union Minister for Human Resource Development while speaking
at the valedictory session of the First Child Education Summit
2002 being organised by the Delhi Public Schools Society, the
Great Indian Dream Foundation, and The Hindustan Times – Pace,
on the occasion of Children’s Day. He said that, in fact, he was
in favour of exams being abolished altogether, except perhaps
for classes VIIIth, Xth and XIIth. The extreme mental stress children
undergo during exams for the sake of even one mark is very harmful.
More importantly, no child must be labeled as a failure. Dr. Joshi
even suggested to the Delhi Public School Society to impart counseling
about the stress of exams and marks.
Dr. Joshi pointed out that in the new syllabus
brought out by the NCERT, an attempt has been made to substantially
decrease the load of textbooks. An attempt has also been made
to link the country’s education to its reality, i.e. its strengths
and its weaknesses. Facts have been presented in such a way that
students get inspired to make the country great. Emphasis has
been laid on imparting the message of equal respect for all religions,
and that all the children know the essence of various religions
and also that all these religions teach the same essential truth.
We must learn to respect each other instead of following the practice
of the West of "tolerating each other", he added.
The Minister also made an appeal to all those
children who have been lucky to be born in families which have
plenty, to step out and help children who do not have access to
resources. There are millions of such poor children in India.
The Government is making efforts to impart an education to each
of these children through the ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, Dr. Joshi
said.
