New Delhi
Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister ManekaGandhi has urged HRD Ministry to spreadand implement the Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment in schoolsissued by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
She has written a letter to HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar and expressed concern at the distributing incident of corporal punishmentin Uttar Pradesh.
Ms Gandhi has also instructed schools to ensure thatNCPCR guidelines.
“Corporal punishment has been banned underSection-17 of the RTE Act,” she pointed out.
The Right of Children to Free and CompulsoryEducation (RTE) Act, 2009, which has come into force with effect from 1 April2010, prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’ under Section17(1) and makes it a punishable offence under Section 17(2).
Article 21 of the Constitution of India whichprotects the right to life and dignity includes the right to education forchildren up to 14 years. Corporal punishment amounts to abuse and militatesagainst the freedom and dignity of a child. It also interferes with a child’sright to education because fear of corporal punishment makes children morelikely to avoid school or to drop out altogether. Hence, corporal punishment isviolative of the right to life with dignity.
