Meet deliberates on issues of Child rights in Manipur
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, August 31 2012: Center for Social Development (CSD), Palace Compound organized a one-day state level seminar on 'Child Right's Issue in Manipur', at the conference hall of Hotel Nirmala here today.

Speaking as a resource person, Prof W Nabakumar, Dean of School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Manipur University, said that violation of child right and abusing children is inhuman and it should not be forgiven.

He observed that present education system is just a modification of the colonial educational model; and we are still implementing the 'captive style' of education system in India.

Moreover, there is no creative and innovative approach in our educational model- especially for lower classes.

In its aim to keep the future generation (Children) healthy, Government of India started the Mid-day meal scheme.

Prof W Nabakumar speaking at the seminar as Arun and Dhanabir look on

However, only 20% of the fund sanctioned for the said purpose reached the targeted children and the remaining were misused by schools and other authorities concerned.

It is a clear example of violating child right in the name of education in the country, and most of the people are staying silent, the Professor maintained.

Stating that we can only think of a developed nation only when children in the country are fully educated in a proper manner, Prof Nabakumar said that especially in the formal education system there is no reflection of child right in the textbooks.

All the syllabus and textbooks should be prepared in a palatable and easy way to perceive by the children.

Pointing out that 'learning, knowing, thinking and reasoning" are the main objectives of education, the Professor said that in Manipur the education system is just a contradiction to the objectives of education and there is no thinking and reasoning perspectives in education.

He also observed that if the teacher teaches moral science lessons only for getting high score in the examination, then the purpose of having such a curriculum will be meaningless.

Social Activist Dhanabir Laishram, who also participated in the seminar one of the resource persons, highlighted the impact of armed conflict and Armed Forces Special Power Act on children.

In the country, there are 21 armed conflict states and due to imposition of AFSPA in the disturbed areas, the Juvenile Justice Act-2000 and its institutions are not operational, he contended.

With regard to recruitment of children by underground groups in the state, Dhanabir noted that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is needed to prevent such activities.

Speaking as a subject expert in the seminar, Irengbam Arun, Editor of Imphal Free Press, said that media should be cautious at the time of reporting any violent incident so as not to have a negative impact on children.

General Secretary of Women Action for Development (WAD), who spoke on the 'Role of Civil Society Organisations to Ensure Child Rights in Manipur' said that some of the CSOs are working actively to protect the Child Right.

In the current year itself, they have enabled to rescue around 72 children from being trafficked to other states.