Child rights body calls for stopping state funding to madrassas unless they comply with RTE norms
New Delhi, Oct 13: The apex child rights body has raised serious concerns about the state of functioning in madrassas and called for stopping state funding to them unless they comply with the Right to Education Act.
In its latest report titled 'Guardians of Faith or Oppressors of Rights?', the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said religious institutions operating outside the purview of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 had a negative impact.
According to the report, the exemption of madrassas from the RTE Act has deprived children attending these institutions of quality education.
While Articles 29 and 30 of the Indian Constitution protect the rights of minorities to preserve their culture and establish educational institutions, NCPCR asserts that these provisions have inadvertently led to discrimination against children in madrassas, who miss out on formal education mandated by the RTE Act.
The report pointed out that while the primary focus of madrassas is religious education, many do not provide the essential components of formal education such as adequate infrastructure, trained teachers, and proper academic curricula.
This leaves students at a disadvantage compared to their peers in mainstream schools.
The report also noted instances where madrassa students have been denied basic entitlements such as textbooks, uniforms, and access to midday meal scheme.
The NCPCR said a large number of Muslim children out of school, with an estimated 1.2 crore Muslim children not receiving formal education, according to UDISE 2021-22 data.
The report also said there was a lack of accountability in many madrassas, where physical safety concerns, such as poor infrastructure and cases of child rights violations, have been reported.
NCPCR has recommended a series of measures, including stopping state funding to madrassas and madrassa boards unless they comply with the RTE Act.
Additionally, NCPCR has recommended removing non-Muslim children from madrassas, as their inclusion violates Article 28 of the Constitution, which prohibits the imposition of religious instruction without parental consent.
The commission's report called for a balanced approach, where both religious and formal education can coexist but not within the same institution.
"Religious education cannot come at the expense of formal education," the report asserted, emphasising that the state must prioritise the fundamental right of every child to free and compulsory education.
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EC must clarify on questions raised by Congress about EVMs: Kapil Sibal
New Delhi, Oct 13: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said the Election Commission must clarify on the questions raised by the Congress about EVMs in the recently-concluded Haryana Assembly polls.
Sibal asserted he is of the opinion that misuse of EVMs does take place in the elections.
The Congress had on Friday submitted more complaints to the Election Commission alleging discrepancies in the electronic voting machines during counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly elections.
The Congress candidates from 20 assembly constituencies, in their written complaints to the Election Commission (EC), have alleged that the batteries in some of the EVMs were charged at 99 per cent during counting on October 8.
The complaints follow the Congress' shock defeat in the assembly elections after the party failed to win a simple majority even after 10 years of the BJP rule in Haryana.
Asked about the allegations, Sibal said, "The questions that the Congress has raised about EVMs, it is providing proof to the Election Commission on it. So, I do not know much about it but the EC must give a clarification on it. I think misuse of EVMs does happen, to what extent it happens, I cannot say."
"From the beginning I am against this. I have given many statements in the past. What is opaque must not be accepted," the former Congress leader and Independent Rajya Sabha MP added.
The Congress has said the assembly polls results were "unexpected" and have alleged discrepancies in the EVMs in some seats.
"In furtherance of the issues raised and the representation submitted to the Election Commission of India on 9th October, we have now submitted an updated memo highlighting serious and glaring irregularities in the election process in 20 assembly constituencies in Haryana. We hope that the Election Commission will take notice and issue the appropriate directives," AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, had said in a post on X on Friday.
"We request you to urgently take action on the enclosed complaints and ensure that all the EVMs from these constituencies are immediately sealed. It is further requested that a detailed inquiry is initiated on our complaints and the same is completed in a time bound manner," the party memorandum to the EC has said.
Some of the Congress candidates in their written complaints, now forwarded to the EC, have alleged that while most EVMs were charged at below 80 per cent during counting, some had a charge of 99 per cent.
"It is to be noted that EVM battery percentage raises serious doubt regarding election results, as the Congress candidates are winning in most EVM machines counting where battery percentage was below 80 per cent," a Congress candidate said.
Senior Congress leaders had met the EC officials last Wednesday and handed over seven complaints in writing. They had said that they would submit more such complaints in detail from some of its other candidates.
In the memorandum to the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners, the Congress has said, "One of the issues faced by a significant number of our candidates was in relation to EVMs and their Battery Capacity."
It said these EVMs were used for counting of votes polled during the assembly elections conducted on October 5.
