CHILDREN

Several parents in Mumbai are upset with the decision by the government to set up a review committee to suggest amendments to the Fee Regulation Act, 2011. They say while the a 3-month review committee may restructure school fees, the school administration has already started restricting students from attending e-learning classes, if fees are not paid. "In 2019 a committee was set up to recommend amendments therefore this new committee formation wasn't needed at all," says Anubha Sahai, President India Wide Parents Association. "The government has always supported schools' decisions on fee hike, both in private and aided schools. Parents…

Smart, enthusiastic and brave -- that’s how those who loved Pavithra (name changed) will always remember her. Pavithra had an army of friends. Always curious, she used to ask questions about everything under the sun. Bright, vivacious, energetic. Until a traumatic incident changed her life.  Four years ago, Pavithra was sexually assaulted by her neighbour -- a college-going student. The 13-year-old girl withdrew herself from the world. ‘Why did it happen to me?’ is the only question she asks her mother these days. “She used to be brave even as a child. The incident has shaken her so much that…

On December 29th, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia rolled out a scheme of supplying dry ration kits in lieu of the mid-day meals in east Delhi’s Mandawali area that falls in Sisodia’s assembly constituency of Patparganj. Each kit contained provisions for six months that included wheat, rice, pulses and oil. “During the lockdown, we tried to provide an allowance in place of the mid-day meals in the students’ bank accounts, but now we are starting distribution of dry-ration among students,” said Kejriwal. Though the scheme will continue till the schools reopen, Sisodia confessed missing mid-day…

2020 is almost nearing its end. It has been a most unpredictable year for almost everyone across the globe. What COVID-19 has taught the masses over the past year can be summed up as “life is unpredictable, be mindful of what matters the most”.  When everything begins at home, cultivating mindfulness in children through the actions of their parents is crucial for strengthening the bonds of love and respect.  While parents relentlessly uphold the cause of their children’s future and happiness, they must also pause and ask if they have totally forgotten to live and revel in the present? Being…

As urban citizens, we all have different desires, aspiration and expectations from our city. We raise issues that we face in our day-to-day lives, we voice our concerns, share our wishlists, but we rarely perceive things from the perspective of a child. This Child Rights Week (November 14th to 20th), we spoke to a few children from the city. Here is what they had to say about the city and what they want from it: K Mithun, Class 6, Chitlapakkam Due to COVID, all our day-to-day learning activities have moved online. While it is convenient for most of us, it…

This Child Rights Week, Citizen Matters brings to you voices from three young community leaders. This is the first of the series. My name is Pravin. I am 16 years old and I live in Sai Shraddha area of Ambujwadi slum. I am a child leader of the children’s collective Bal Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan.  I personally feel that our current system (the government and the officials) are not doing enough for the children. There is a limited budget and initiatives to support children and provide them with basic resources and rights. Children are ignored by everybody. It is important that…

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” - Albert Einstein. Whenever I read this this quote, I always joke that our Indian education system, being evaluation based, makes sure that we forget most of what we learn! But the same quote takes on a new meaning in the present context when children have almost forgotten what they used to take for granted – to learn in a physical classroom with a teacher supervising and teaching them, in person. Schooling in times of COVID-19 It will soon be six months since schools shut and…

Children are often under-prioritized or even disregarded in urban planning and design. It’s estimated that up to 500 children die daily in road crashes around the world; thousands more incur injuries and psychological trauma from collisions with vehicles that can affect them for years. Whether on the streets or in public spaces, feeling unsafe or uncomfortable in outdoor spaces also discourages children from physical exercise at a time when 80% of children between ages 11-17 are not physically active, and 38 million children under age five are overweight or obese. The coronavirus pandemic has further highlighted the urgent need for safe outdoor areas for…

“It has become a matter of routine for me to go to the police station once in every ten days,” says an inconsolable Kavita (name changed). Since this March, she has been desperately pleading with the cops at the Maduravoyal Police Station, asking them to do what it takes to ensure justice for her 10-year-old daughter. Kavita's daughter was raped and killed by their 29-year-old neighbour five months ago.  The girl who woke up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, which is detached from their house, never came back to sleep next to her mother. …

Kulsum Khatun and husband, a rickshaw puller, are residents of Jagdamba camp in Sheikh Sarai. Over the last few months of lockdown in the capital, none of them were able to find any work. “My two daughters, aged 7 and 9, study in a government school in Malviya Nagar (South Delhi),” said Kusum, “Mid-day meals were very important for us since we hardly make enough to feed them twice a day. Now, even that has stopped. We received around Rs 95 in March but nothing since then.” On March 23rd, seven days after the COVID crisis forced closure of all…