In Haryana, the ambitious social campaign known as “Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan” (Right to Education campaign) was launched by Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs Meira Kumar, Union Human Resources Development, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Nuh in Mewat district today. The campaign was launched on the birth anniversary of India’s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, which is also observed as National Education Day.

Addressing a gathering at Mewat Model School, Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar said that the campaign aims at generating awareness among the masses about the importance of education. She said that the message of free and compulsory education should reach every household, so that no child is deprived of education. She said that Mewat has to become a harbinger of social transformation through education.

She said that a period of three years was fixed for meeting the infrastructural requirements in the schools as per the Right To Education, RTE Act, out of which one-and-a-half years’ time has already lapsed. She congratulated Haryana for having implemented the RTE and hoped that other states would also do the needful in the remaining period of one-and-a-half year. Stressing the need for educating the girl child, she said that when the family is in distress, it is the girl child who is withdrawn from the school and the male child is facilitated.

Earlier, the Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibbal said that only passing an Act in the Parliament was not enough and the message should reach to every child that it is his or her right to receive free and compulsory education up to eighth standard. He said that everybody including teachers, children, panchayats, State government, Central government and the School Management Committees should contribute in making the campaign a success. He said that RTE provides that the teacher- student ratio should be 1:30 and there should be a class room for every class. It ensures proper sports facilities, period for games, separate toilets for boys and girls in schools and that the teachers should be qualified.

The Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Dr D. Purandeshwari read out the Prime Minister’s message, addressed to the students.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda highlighted the steps taken to bring a qualitative change in the education system in the state. Mr Hooda also honoured Master Salman Ali of Mewat by presenting a cheque of 21 lakh rupees to him.