Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR)
Mandate
The Division focuses on monitoring the implementation of the rights of the children with special emphasis on different provisions pertaining to Government, Municipal and private schools. The Division also fulfills the Commission’s obligation to act as appellate authority against decisions of the Department on all matters of Right to Education. The Division lays emphasis on learning levels, basic infrastructure in schools, schools’ safety standards, curbing drop outs, and improving attendance. The Division has two dedicated Cells; one to prioritise the cause of children with Special Needs and another one called SMC Cell to take up issues of School Management Committees across Delhi. To read the complete mandate of the Division, kindlyclick here
Projects and Initiatives
Some of the most prominent projects/initiatives undertaken during Financial Year 2020-21 are mentioned:
1. School Development Index (SDI):
School Development Index (SDI) is one of the key projects on Education to be undertaken by the Commission which began in the third quarter of FY 2017-18 and finished in F.Y. 2020-21. In this project, all schools in Delhi which are covered under the ambit of Right of Children to free and Compulsory Education, 2009 were evaluated on parameters such as Teaching & Learning, Safety & Security and Community Participation.
Overall, 5475 schools were evaluated in three phases of on-ground assessments in which more than 3.5 lakh students were assessed. The project was rolled on in partnership with the Quality Council of India (QCI). The Project Completion report has been submitted by QCI in January 2021.
2. Designing an Early Warning System for identifying child absenteeism and intervening timely to curb child dropout:
In September 2020, the Commission initiated the process of building an Early Warning System which would track students’ schools’ attendance and trigger a series of interventions to curb potential child dropout from the school. based on the understanding that a child’s prolonged absence from schools reflects adverse conditions that the child’s family is unable to overcome. The idea of the Early Warning System is to continuously monitor the attendance of students and whenever a child remains absent for more than 66% days in any given month then the child needs to be reach out to so as to understand the reason behind absenteeism either through IVRS/SMS or through home visits by teachers or SMC Members.
The tech design of the system has been prepared by the MIS team of DoE in coordination with the Education Division, DCPCR and the system will be piloted soon and is expected to be rolled out in F.Y.2021-22
3. EWS/DG Quota Students Retention Survey
DCPCR collaborated with the a non- for- profit organization ‘Indus Action’ to undertake the retention survey of the children admitted under EWS/DG Quota in private schools as mandated by section 12(1)(c) of Right to Education Act. The survey that was conducted from 4th July 2020 to 24th July 2020 included a sample of 1500 families selected through stratified sampling and established that:
a. There was a 88.97% retention rate observed in children being admitted under the EWS/DG quota. The retention rate for children with special needs (~86%). Some of the major challenges reported by the parents of 14 CWSN students included lack of special educators in schools and discrimination against the child or parent.
b. While 53% of children admitted under the section were provided with free books and uniforms, 14.5% of children were charged an additional fee.
c. The distance of the school from the child’s home was reported as the leading cause of not continuing education in the allocated school (~36%), followed by inability to pay the additional charges being forced (~11%) and treatment towards the child (~11%).
4. Curating a Comprehensive Disability Entitlements Handbook
The Education and CWSN Division has undertaken a project to curate a disability handbook that acts as a single source repository of all government schemes, policies and entitlements for persons with disability. The handbook will outline the related schemes, their eligibility conditions, the documentation required, application process, benefit details, timelines, and the grievance redressal process along with contact details of crucial institutions. The handbook is expected to be launched by July, 2021.