The Supreme Court has ordered all the state government on December 15, 2020, to provide INR 2,000 per month for the education of children from Child Care Institutions (CCI) who were restored with their families due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
The court has also ordered the states to provide the necessary infrastructure, books, and other requirements of the online classes for children from CCI within a deadline of 30 days.
Justin L. Nageswara Rao headed the bench and ordered the state government to ensure if the number of teachers available to teach children in child care institutions is enough as per the requirement.
The bench which comprised Justices Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi informed that at the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic there were 2,27,518 children in CCIs out of which 1,45,788 children have been restored with their families or guardians.
The bench stated that the children from CCIs who have been restored with their families will be provided INR 2,000 by the state government.
It is also announced that this fund should be provided at the recommendation of the district child protection unit, considering the financial position of the children’s families.
The bench directed the district child protection unit to coordinate and supervise the progress considering the importance and requirement for providing education to the children who were restored with their families.
The Apex court also ordered the child protection unit to report the progress to the district legal services authorities.
From March 2020, children were not able to attend regular classes because of the COVID 19 global pandemic, and teachers were required to be appointed to teach students.
The hearing was conducted virtually through video conferencing and advocate Gaurav Agrawal assisted the top court and informed about the number of children residing in the Child Care Institution and restored with families because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Agarwal stated that proper direction from the Supreme Court is required for providing educational facilities in child care homes and the government should also provide the necessary infrastructure and equipment for online classes.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the National Commission for Protection of Children Rights (NCPCR) stated that he has no objection to Agarwal's suggestions.
The bench observed that the law should be implemented by the child rights commission and accepted the suggestions made by Agarwal. The order made by the bench will be implemented through the states, NCPCR, and state commissions.
The court order also included the impartment of extra classes for the students to prepare them for the final exams which are scheduled to be conducted next year.
The bench stated, "Provide the necessary infrastructure, books, and other equipment that is necessary for online classes on the basis of recommendations made by District Child Protection Units within a period of 30 days from today," on December 15, 2020.
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