New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) For the sixth day Monday, former child labourers went door-to-door visiting parliamentarians in the capital in an attempt to sensitise them about the Right to Education Act and asked them to implement it in its true spirit.
The week-long campaign saw the children receive a range of response - while some parliamentarians received them with sweets, some others refused to even meet them. The act will be notified April 1.

Farzana, a 12-year-old former child labourer who went to one of the parliamentarian’s house early Monday, got a three-word response: “Netaji is sleeping”.

“There were some who responded to us in the same way, but others listened to us patiently. Our campaign is that there should be more allocation of funds for education in the budget. Also, the Right to Education Act should be implemented properly,” she said.

Kailash Satyarthi of the child rights organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) who organised the campaign said: “The children’s demand is that the Right to Education Act be implemented properly, ensuring quality education by training and recruitment of quality teachers in place of ad hoc arrangement of temporary teachers.”

“Non-commercialisation and non-privatisation of basic education and ensuring equitable education for all children, particularly girls, child labourers and all socio-economically excluded groups are the other demands,” he added.

A total of 16 parliamentarians signed the pledge letter, promising to raise the children’s voice in parliament.

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