Lekha G
The Karnataka High Court by a Division Bench of BV Nagarathna and E Hanchate Sanjeevkumar has directed the State Government to chalk out a plan for providing textbooks, notebooks and other technical devices to children in rural areas.
“Pandemic or no pandemic, the education of children must go on. The State must rise to the occasion,” the Court remarked.
The Court further said, “In order to make the (educational) system more inclusive, it is necessary for the State Government to come out with an action plan to provide textbooks, notebooks and technical devices. This is particularly required for those students covered under the RTE Act and compulsory education under Article 21 A of the Constitution.”
The Court also pointed out that children might be unable to devise ways and means of spending free time amid lockdown and there is a high possibility of children being forced into child marriage or child labour in the absence of online classes.
The Government advocate further filed a memo informing the Court that classes might start for grades 1 to 7 from June 15 and for grades 8 to 9 from July 15. SSLC exams to be held from June 26 to July 5. However, such dates are subject to the situation in the state due to the current pandemic.
The Court directed the State Government to come out with a road map for the upcoming academic year in case of continuance of online mode of education and file a status report on these issues by next week.
The Bench was hearing a PIL seeking directions to the government to provide laptops, tablets, and other digital resources free of cost enabling economically weaker section school children to attend online classes.
The matter to be further heard on June 8.
