New Delhi, Dec 15: Observing that COVID-19 has affected normal life since March and children did not had the opportunity to attend classes, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states to provide Rs 2,000 a month for the education of each child who was in a child care institution (CCI) and has now been restored to his or her family during the pandemic.
The apex court was told that 2,27,518 children were in CCIs when the COVID-19 pandemic started and 1,45,788 have been restored with their families or guardians. Taking note of the plight of children who are residing in CCIs during pandemic period, the top court stressed on the need to provide them requisite infrastructure for education and said that states should ensure that required number of teachers are made available to teach them. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao also said state governments should provide necessary infrastructure, including books and stationery, to CCIs for the online classes of children living there on the basis of recommendation from district child protection units within 30 days.
The top court said that it might be necessary for the states to nominate a teacher for a batch of 20-25 children in CCIs so that they could get education during the pandemic time.
The bench, also comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi, said states would pay Rs 2,000 per month for their education and this amount has to be given at the recommendation of the district child protection unit, keeping in mind the financial position of the children’s families. The bench said extra classes are necessary for these children to prepare for the exams in March next year. (PTI)
