'Entire System Kept On Wait & Watch Phenomenon': Plea In Patna HC To Remove Digital Poverty At Govt Schools; Notice Issued [Read Order]

The bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S Kumar has issued notices to the Government of Bihar, seeking their reply in the matter within three weeks.

The petition has been filed by Advocate Jai Vardhan Narayan (in person) to fully realize the right to free and compulsory education guaranteed under Article 21-A of the Constitution of India.

"All the Government Schools are closed and due to digital poverty in the State of Bihar especially in the Government Schools, the students are not being provided any form of learning and the teachers are sitting idle without any work and at the same time Private Schools are providing learning facilities to all their students," he argued before the High Court.

He emphasized that this is the most appropriate time for the Government, academicians, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and business barons, to deliberately concentrate efforts and resources on holistic moral, academic, medical and social as well as scientific technological development of every child.

However, nothing much had been done over the past six months and the entire system was kept on "wait and watch phenomenon". No action plan was made to put in track the functioning of the government run schools virtually in a proper manner, to preserve the children's basic right to education.

"The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards," the plea stated.

The matter is now listed for hearing on November 4, 2020.

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