Making RTE meaningful: Karnataka, Andhra recognise kids with HIV
The government of Karnataka is all set to make reservation for children infected with HIV mandatory in all private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. It’s a strong step towards ensuring a place for HIV affected children in classrooms.
The latest draft rules prepared by the Karnataka government sets aside five per cent, out of the mandatory 25 per cent reservation in private schools, for HIV positive children as well as orphaned and disabled children.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), says nearly 11,000 children live with HIV/AIDS in Karnataka. The state has the third largest number of HIV affected children after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It is estimated that nearly 300 children died of AIDS related causes in the State during 2007-2010.
The introduction of a specific quota for HIV affected children will face two significant roadblocks.
The first dilemma for the State government how to keep the identity of HIV affected children confidential. The second is tiding over opposition from parents and schools.
With transparency in the admission process bound to be made compulsory, admitting students under this quota could reveal the identity of potential HIV+ children. Vasudeva Sharma, member of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says that schools will have to maintain the confidentiality of students admitted under this quota.
"Of course, there are challenges which we hope to overcome in course of time," Sharma told the press, "Perhaps the day will come when children can say, without any trepidation, that they are HIV+," he adds.
There have been demands in the past for removal, boycott and ostracising of students known to be HIV+. For instance, in Belgaum last year as many as 22 children, who tested HIV+, at a government primary school were prevented by other students and parents from studying in the same school.
This year, in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Centre said there were cases of 61 children infected by HIV who were removed from schools in various instances during 2008-2010.
The discrimination cases were reported from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Karnataka is not the only State to have this reservation policy . They have virtually copied the Andhra Pradesh model. A quota for HIV affected kids is not part of the model RTE rules of the Centre, and States like Kerala have not included any category-wise reservation in the 25 per cent quota
Reservation quota under RTE: [a] HIV+/Orphans/Disabled 5 [b]Scheduled Caste 10 [c] Scheduled Tribe 4 [d] Backward Classes 6. Total 25%
The government of Karnataka is all set to make reservation for children infected with HIV mandatory in all private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. It’s a strong step towards ensuring a place for HIV affected children in classrooms.
The latest draft rules prepared by the Karnataka government sets aside five per cent, out of the mandatory 25 per cent reservation in private schools, for HIV positive children as well as orphaned and disabled children.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), says nearly 11,000 children live with HIV/AIDS in Karnataka. The state has the third largest number of HIV affected children after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It is estimated that nearly 300 children died of AIDS related causes in the State during 2007-2010.
The introduction of a specific quota for HIV affected children will face two significant roadblocks.
The first dilemma for the State government how to keep the identity of HIV affected children confidential. The second is tiding over opposition from parents and schools.
With transparency in the admission process bound to be made compulsory, admitting students under this quota could reveal the identity of potential HIV+ children. Vasudeva Sharma, member of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says that schools will have to maintain the confidentiality of students admitted under this quota.
"Of course, there are challenges which we hope to overcome in course of time," Sharma told the press, "Perhaps the day will come when children can say, without any trepidation, that they are HIV+," he adds.
There have been demands in the past for removal, boycott and ostracising of students known to be HIV+. For instance, in Belgaum last year as many as 22 children, who tested HIV+, at a government primary school were prevented by other students and parents from studying in the same school.
This year, in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Centre said there were cases of 61 children infected by HIV who were removed from schools in various instances during 2008-2010.
The discrimination cases were reported from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Reservation quota under RTE: [a] HIV+/Orphans/Disabled 5 [b]Scheduled Caste 10 [c] Scheduled Tribe 4 [d] Backward Classes 6. Total 25%
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