Passage

It is no longer enough for us to talk about providing for universal access to education. Making available schooling facilities is an essential prerequisite, but is insufficient to ensure that all children attend school and participate in the learning process. The school may be there, but children may not attend or they may drop out after a few months. Through school and social mapping, we must address the entire gamut of social, economic, cultural and indeed linguistic and pedagogic issues, factors that prevent children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, as also girls, from regularly attending and complementing elementary education. The focus must be on the poorest and most vulnerable since these groups are the most disempowered and at the greatest risk of violation or denial of their right to education. The right to education goes beyond free and compulsory education to include quality education for all. Quality is an integral part of the right to education. If the education process lacks quality, children are being denied their rights. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act lays down that the curriculum should provide for learning through activities, exploration and discovery. This places an obligation on us to change our perception of children as passive receivers of knowledge and to move beyond the convention of using textbooks as the basis of examinations.The teaching-learning process must become stress-free; and a massive program for curricular reform should be initiated to provide for a child-friendly learning system, that is more relevant and empowering. Teacher accountability systems and processes must ensure that children are learning and that their right to learn in a child-friendly environment is not violated. Testing and assessment systems must be reexamined and redesigned to ensure that these do not force children to struggle between school and tuition centres, and bypass childhood.
QUESTION

CSAT

Hard

Comprehension

Prelims 2018

According to the passage, which of the following is/are of paramount importance under the Right to Education?

  1. Sending of children to school by all parents.
  2. Provision of adequate physical infrastructure in schools.
  3. Curricular reforms for developing a child-friendly learning system.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. "Sending of children to school by all parents" is not the primary focus of the passage. The Right to Education emphasizes quality of education, not just enrollment.

Statement 2 is incorrect. "Provision of adequate physical infrastructure in schools" is mentioned, but it is not the main concern. The passage stresses the importance of quality education and teacher accountability over infrastructure.

Statement 3 is correct. "Curricular reforms for developing a child-friendly learning system" aligns with the passage's emphasis on enhancing education quality and the teaching-learning process.

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