National Advisory Council chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday raised concern over the high dropout rate and the absence of teachers from schools in villages.
Speaking at a function after inaugurating 31 Navodaya Vidyalayas in different parts of the country, Mrs Gandhi noted that “one fourth of the teachers” in the village schools remain absent and said the dropout rate, particularly amongst the minority and poor was high.
“Everyone has a right to education and it was not limited to a few. The Right to Education Bill would address all issues pertaining to education in the country,” she stated. She hoped that the Right to Education Bill will be able to achieve the objective of education for all. She pointed out that the UPA government under Manmohan Singh was offering scholarships in this regard. “Awareness about these has to be spread,” she said. The NAC chairperson also recalled that the concept of Navodaya Vidyalayas was introduced by the late Rajiv Gandhi. “I can say that the students studying here are on the right track. Rajiv Gandhi was concerned about the poor, backward and their children.