Hyderabad: Activists of Democratic Sangha stage protest

Hyderabad: Members of the Democratic Sangha on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest at Dharna Chowk demanding immediate implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act in the State.

According to the protestors, though the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 commonly known as the Right To Education (RTE) Act, came into force on April 1, 2010 the inaction of the State government in implementing it infringed the fundamental rights of more than 10 lakh children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups.

The section states that private unaided schools have the responsibility to provide free education to children from disadvantaged and weaker sections and admit at least one-fourth of the total strength of class I.

Social activist Sandeep Pandey said, "every country that has achieved 100 per cent literacy has implemented a common school system. There is an urgent need for the country to implement the Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act is a first step in this direction.

Monk Brahmachari Chaitanya, president, Democratic Sangha, said "one of the greatest injustices in India today is that a child's access to quality education depends on their social status or family's income. Section 12 (1) (c) of the Right to Education will provide equal opportunity to every child and ensure we have true equality."