New Delhi: Major UN organisations on Friday hailed the implementation of Right To Education Act and said this "ground-breaking" initiative will propel India to even greater
heights of prosperity and productivity.
UNICEF, ILO and UNESCO applauded the law which makes education a fundamental right of every child in the 6-14 age bracket in India.
"Tens of millions of children will benefit from this initiative ensuring quality education with equity," said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF Representative in India.
"RTE will propel India to even greater heights of prosperity and productivity for all guaranteeing children their right to a quality education and a brighter future," Hulshof said.
Noting that a large number of children in India are still out of school, Hulshof said the world cannot reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of having every child complete primary school by 2015 without India.
"RTE presents an opportunity to reach the unreached, particularly the disadvantaged such as child labourers. Considering there is no general minimum age for employment, the Act recognises that children should be in school which is an implicit recognition that they should not be at work," said Andr Bogui, Acting Director for ILO's Sub-Regional Office for
South Asia.
"This Act is an essential step towards improving each child's accessibility to secondary and higher education, bringing India closer to achieving national educational development goals, as well as the MDGs and Education for All (EFA)," said UNESCO New Delhi Director Armoogum Parsuramen.
He said that UNESCO places the right to education at the heart of its mission, and stands ready to accompany all partners in their efforts to ensure its successful implementation.
PTI
First Published: Friday, April 02, 2010, 17:29