Rayagada: A joint Endeavour by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS)-Odisha and Unicef-Odisha is started to Strengthening Education Standing Committees through greater Community Participation to ensure all children in school and quality learning in 100 selected Panchayats of 8 districts of Odisha. Through this initiative there are a number of targets undertaken such as to conduct a study for getting a status on functioning of education standing committees under the Rights to Education norms. It is also targeted all Children in the age group of 6-14 years have to enrolled in the school and access quality education, third target is there will be Functional Standing committee with grater ownership on school education and fourth one is to Increase capacities of community towards quality education along with overall RTE compliance among (6-14) year children and GPRC (Gram Panchayat Resource Centre) will be established & strengthened for community linkage.
Although Right to Education Act (RTE)-2009 has strongly recommended to ensure community participation in school process to provide opportunity to every child attends school and receives quality education, current governance has shown poor performance not only to empower the community but sizable number of school age children are out of school and non adherence of RtE norms have directly affect the quality education that befall upon the poor children. In recent year this situation has become very critical and complex. If today, it is not arrested, thousands of poor children particularly children in difficult situation will deprive from their rights.
Thus it is intended to take all the issues in persistence with access to school, quality education, adherence of RtE norms and finally strengthening standing committee who can review the school situation and can witness over all development of the school situation.
With consistent continuous advocacy by UNICEF–BGVS along with different CSOs, School and Mass Education Department, Government of Odisha on 30th July 2014 has come up with a guideline for functional Education Standing Committees in all panchayat across the state. Odisha is the first state to issue such circular jointly by department of S & ME and Panchayat raj, Govt. of Odisha.
It is increasingly being realized that without active participation of community members, the fruits of RTE cannot be realized. Under this backdrop, Unicef -Odisha aspires to build partnership with BGVS, Odisha for the strengthening of standing committee in selected 100 panchayats of 8 districts of Odisha as model demonstration. The intervention districts are basically tribal dominated with high dropout rate; high migration, less literacy rate and most of them are prone to natural disaster. These are Angul, Ganjam, Khorda, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Raygada and Keonjhar. This intervention supports the systematic community mobilisation, mapping of community status, use of innovative communication methods and tools like rural sports and Kalajatha to engage communities on issues related to enrolment and quality education.
In this regard, BGVS-Odisha with Support from Unicef-Odisha has organised the consultation at Kolnara block conference hall of Rayagada district on 12th November 2018. Kolnara Additional Block Development Officer Sri K. Siba Gopal Rao inaugurated the consultation. Among of others Block Education Officer Sri Tapas Ku Bhoi, Additional Block Education Officer Sri Brundaban Marandi, Child Development Project Officer Smt. G. Girija, Dr. Rashmi Prabha Das, Medical Officer in charge, Dr. G Sailaja, MO, CHC, Sri Prakash Ch. Barik, Unicef, Rayagada and Sri Blorin K Mohanty, General Secretary, BGVS, Odisha joined in this process. Nearly 100 participants including all Sarapanchs, Panchayat Executive Officers of 17 GPs and all Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators of Kolanara block participated in this Consultation. The consultation has come out with the resolution that School Development Plan will be prepare in all Schools and incorporated in panchayat development plan, All out of school children will be enrolled get quality education with involvement of Community groups. All the education standing committee will be reconstituted and functional, School Management Committee will be activated through the support of line department.
Among of BGVS-Odisha Mr. Bipin Barik welcome the participants and shared the purposes of the initiative, Mr. Ratneswar Sahu shared about Out of school children tracking process. Mr. Nihar Ranjan Padhi coordinated the consultation.
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